Now and Forever
by ApricotDragons
Summary: Set after Last Sacrifice, two years later.  When Lissa is kidnapped from her hospital room, all hell breaks loose for Rose and Dimitri as they go to Russia again to find her. But their trip sheds light on a whole new  situation for them.
1. The Beginning

**Hey, ya'll. **

**So, this is my first Vampire Academy Fan Fic...Personally, i don't like the first few chapters, but it gets better as it progresses. I'll try to update it at least once a week!**

**So, let me know what you think! :)**

**~Little-Dhampir x**

**Disclaimer: No, sadly, I do not have Red Hair. Nor do I live in Seattle, so I don't own Vampire Academy. :(**

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Chapter One

I stood across the room at post as Lissa was examined. She'd been sick lately, and I told her if she didn't go to the hospital, I'd drag her there myself.

"I'll be right back." I told her as I left the room and closed the door. Pulling out my cell, I dialled the number I had memorised and waited.

"Rose?" Christian asked; his voice confused. He'd gone away from court two months ago, and was due back in a few days.

"Court medical centre, Christian. Now." I said without explanation, before snapping the phone shut and walking back in. The doctor had just finished up whatever test she was doing, and was leaving.

"Everything okay?" I asked, plastering a fake smile on my face. I was worried about her.

"Sure it is." Lissa replied too quickly, her eyes seemed distant, and there was an air of frailty around her.

"Please, Lissa, _please _tell me you didn't downplay anything!" I groaned. Her eyes darted to the window behind me, and I threw my hands up in frustration.

"Sometimes I just don't get you." I snapped, storming out and slamming the door. I had no intention of leaving, though. Once, maybe, I would have, but not now. I sat across from her door in the hallway, thumping the back of my head against the wall repeatedly. My pocket began to vibrate; and I quickly pulled out my cell.

"Hello?" I asked warily, not recognizing the number.

"Rose? It's Jill." She said. I was slightly taken aback. I hadn't seen her since Lissa's coronation.

"Jill Mastrano?" I asked, sitting up properly.

"Uh, yeah. There's someone here who wants to talk to you." She said.

"Okay, sure." There was a sort of crackling sound as the phone changed hands. But just before they spoke, I heard Lissa let out a moan filled with agony. I snapped the phone shut, and burst back into her room. She was doubled over, clutching her stomach as blood streamed from her mouth.

I bolted back out and desperately searched for a nurse. Where the hell are they all?

"Rose?" A voice came from the end of the hall. I bolted toward him and grabbed his wrist.

"No questions, Christian. It's Lissa." I said, leading him at a sprint to her room. He kept up with me easily. He took one look at her pale figure, now lying across the bed, her pillow stained a gruesome red, and pulled his cell out.

"Belikov. Room 103. Now." Christian nearly yelled, snapping it closed and tossing it to me. The nurses finally showed up and ushered Christian back. Nausea rolled over me like heavy storm clouds. This was bad.

I dropped his cell on the table, and ran out of the room. Down the hall, I could hear the doctor pulling together instruments so he could help Liss. I ran the other way, and found the entrance. I heard the shouts before I saw them. Four Strigoi were headed toward the hospital.

"Son of a..." I cursed, yanking the small silver stake Dimitri had given me for my twentieth birthday. I made a run for the door to warn the others, but it was too late. One of the female Strigoi grabbed me from behind by my hair, and sunk her fangs into my throat. I screamed and tried to wrestle her off, but I couldn't. She was strong. Stronger than any Strigoi I'd ever encountered before.

"NO!" I heard someone roar. My head started to spin, but before I could black out from the blood loss, she was gone. I heard her snarl, and then she went silent.

"Roza..." Dimitri whispered, gathering me up into his arms. And heading toward the double doors. It felt as if my body was disconnected from my head. I couldn't make my arms work.

"How much did she take?" I murmured.

"Another ten seconds and you would have been dead." He said, his voice thick. I smiled up at him.

"I'm not going anywhere." I said, stretching up and kissing his cheek gently. My vision went fuzzy, and my entire body slumped in Dimitri's arms. Then the entire world went black.

I woke up in a plain hospital cot, curled against Dimitri's side.

"Lissa!" I hissed, leaping off of the bed and jumping for the door.

"Rose, be careful." Dimitri yelled, grabbing me by my waist and dragging me back. I fought him, but I knew it was no use. He knew me too well. He leaned down and kissed my neck softly where the stitches were. The Strigoi pretty much ate part of my throat.

"_Roza_, please." He whispered. His voice was filled with worry. I turned around and looked him levelly in his endless brown eyes, his hands still wrapped around my waist.

"I love you, Dimitri." I whispered. His eyes glittered as he smiled at me.

"_Ya lyublyu tebya, Roza_." He replied, his voice husky. I knew enough Russian to know what he was saying. I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him.

"Can I go see Lissa now?" I asked softly. I knew he wanted to keep me here with him, but he couldn't. We were guardians. _They come first._ He released me waist, and took hold of my hand. We went down the hall to Lissa's room.

"Took you long enough, Dimitri." Christian complained. Rolled my eyes. It was hard to believe the boy was twenty one. He was still as immature as he was back at the Academy. Wait a second.

"What?" I asked, confused. Dimitri just shook his head and smiled at me knowingly. I was still confused, but I shut up. I looked over at my best friend, and my heart sank. She was the colour of a piece of paper, and just as fragile looking. I went to walk to her, but Dimitri held me back. I went to protest, but I saw Christian move.

"Lissa?" He said. Her jade green eyes moved to watch him as he knelt on the floor next to her bed.

"I'm going to be okay. I won't die." She said, almost as if she as trying to convince herself. Christian's ice-blue eyes sparkled with tears, as did mine. He hung his head and cried as Lissa tried to comfort him.

The scene was so personal, so moving. A boy, who was desperately in love with a girl, sat next her, looking on as she slowly died; helpless to do anything. I looked up at Dimitri, and I saw a single tear trickle down his cheek. I wrapped my arms around Dimitri's waist and rested my head on his chest as I looked on at the pair, feeling tears trickle down my own face. My best friend was dying.

"Christian. Now or never." Dimitri murmured. Christian's eyes flickered over to us for a second, before he took a deep breath. Lissa watched him expectantly.

"Liss, will you marry me?" Christian asked, producing a small velvet box. Now it was Lissa's turn to cry. She sat up, wincing, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Yes!" She cried as Christian slipped the ring onto her finger. I looked up at Dimitri, beaming through my tears.

"Congratulations, Liss." I said, releasing my hold on Dimitri to hug my best friend.

"Thanks." She said, laying back down and coughing. The nurse came in about five minutes later.

"You kids have to go now, visiting hours are over. You, back to your room." She snapped.

"I'm her fiancée." Christian snapped back. The nurse threw her hands up, and stormed out.

"What a b**ch." I mumbled. We said goodnight, and walked back up the hall to my room. I dragged Dimitri onto my bed and locked my arms around him, holding back the tears that threatened to escape.

"_Roza, _Lissa's a strong woman. She'll survive. You know she will." Dimitri murmured, brushing the hair out of my face.

"But what if she doesn't? What if it's her time to go?" I asked desperately.

"Then she will die a happy, married, and very much loved queen." He explained calmly. He was right. He always was. I rested my head on his chest.

"I suppose you're right." I said.

"I do envy Christian one thing though." Dimitri said a few minutes later.

"Yeah? What's that?" I asked, propping myself up on one elbow.

"He can marry the woman he loves." The second the words left his lips, I melted.

"You want to...marry me?" I whispered; my face filled with shock.

"If I could." He said. I leaned up and kissed him passionately, and there was no question as to what would follow. Dimitri and I spent that night in our own little personal version of heaven together.


	2. The Cave

**Hey, Ya'll.**

**Part two is only really short, and as I said before, not one of my favorite chapters, but I'll let you guys decided what you think.**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Vampire Academy, or anything associated with it. Just the storyline for this Fic. That's mine. :)**

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Chapter Two

When I woke up, Dimitri wasn't next to me. But there was a note.

"_Roza,"_ It read. "_Went to go stand guard outside the hospital. Come see me. –D" _Without a second thought, I pulled my shoes on, ripped the bandage off my neck, and walked toward the parking lot.

"Dimitri?" I called when I couldn't see him.

"ROSE!" I heard Christian call from a window. I looked up, and saw he was pointing towards the woods. Three Strigoi were dragging Dimitri on his back. I froze. It was happening again. The Images from the Battle of the Academy came flashing in front of my eyes. Staying with his family in Baia, Hunting in Novosibirsk. I couldn't believe it.

"They're relentless!" I shouted to Christian as four more came out of the trees. I ran towards them, Christian catching up to me. I nodded to him wordlessly, and we started the Attack. I had no weapons, but Christian did. I fought, he killed. We were down to two of them, when one of them spoke.

"Well...Rose Hathaway. I remember. Still." Nathan said in his cruel voice. I hadn't even noticed it was him. He grabbed me by my already wounded throat, and squeezed. Dimitri desperately fought against the ropes holding him down, but to no avail. Christian was busy with his own Strigoi, and I had no hope. But instead of choking the life out of me, he dropped me.

"Killing you is no use. Killing him, however..."Nathan started to say as he yanked Dimitri up by his shirt.

"No." I whispered.

"Oh yes. You've changed, Belikov." Nathan said, but then froze. Half a second later, he exploded into flames. Christian.

"Ohmygod!" I squealed, scrambling over to Dimitri. Untying his hands, I pulled off his gag and kissed him.

"He really hated us." Dimitri whispered. I laughed, before standing and going over to Christian.

"Thank you, Christian." I said, hugging him warmly. He was caught by surprise, but hugged me back.

"You're welcome, Hathaway." He said. The three of us walked back toward the hospital. Christian went in, while Dimitri and I stayed on guard.

"He almost killed us. We both could be dead now if it weren't for that misfit." I said, amusement leaking into my voice.

"I remember when I had to practically pull you off of him, and you were yelling at him to stay away from Lissa." He said seriously. I looked at him for a second, before we both burst into laughter. It was nice. It was never this easy between us at the Academy.

"I miss the training sessions. They were the best part of my day." I said. Dimitri shrugged, and braced himself.

"Let's see what you were doing while I was away." He teased. I smiled, and pulled a new move on him that I'd only used once before. Grabbing his wrist, I used his knee as a support to scramble onto his shoulders and pull him backward.

"Okay. Ouch. Practicing obviously." He said, smiling and brushing dirt from his back.

"I admit, that was impressive."

Dimitri and I both spun around to face the newcomer. I exhaled the air I had sucked in and relaxed.

"Really, Ivashkov?" I complained. I really didn't want to see him.

"I did call." He countered.

"Oh, I apologize. Next time the queen is dying, I'll stop and chat to you!" I spat out as Dimitri took hold of my arm. I shrugged off his hold, and stormed away.

"Real mature, Rose." Adrian called. That did it. I walked back calmly, and in a blur of Motion, snatched Dimitri's stake and pinned Adrian.

"You do _not _want to mess with me, Ivashkov. I swear to god I'll kill you." I hissed, before Dimitri literally picked me up off of him, and carried me back inside.

"Jerk..." I grumbled. Dimitri looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"I never did like him." He said, setting me to my feet and taking the stake.

"Then why can't I kill him?" I hissed. He was right. I was being immature. I was the one that left him, after all. The Rose Hathaway in me just can't back down.

"I've busted you out of jail once. That was hard enough." Dimitri said, smiling. I rolled my eyes at him and rested my head against his chest.

"Can someone PLEASE explain to me how Ivashkov found us?" I heard Christian say from behind me. He was right. If Adrian let leak that the Queen was sick, all hell would break loose.

"Ivashkov found you, because an angry mother and a violent father thought that her rebellious daughter had kidnapped Queen Lissa. Again. It's no secret that the queen is missing you know." Adrian said from the general direction that Christian's voice was coming from.

"Five _freaking _minutes! I can't get five minutes, guys! Seriously!" I yelled, storming to the elevator to go sit with Lissa. I planned to lock the door. Just as the elevator doors closed, I heard the hitting of flesh against flesh, and hoped Dimitri had punched Adrian.

"Lissa?" I asked, knocking at her door gently. There was no response. I opened the door, and saw she was asleep, the sheets pulled over her head. Something wasn't right.

"Liss?" I said, louder, shaking her. I ripped the sheets away, and saw there were pillows there instead of Lissa.

"Oh, hell. Goddammit. Son of a..." I cursed loudly, running back down the hallway and, taking the stairs this time, ran back down to the lobby. Not even stopping to fill in the others, I sprinted out of the glass double doors and towards the trees. Branches scratched at my face and legs, and tugged at my hair.

"Rose!" Yelled Dimitri, trying to catch up with me. It rarely happened that he couldn't catch up with me, but I was sprinting so hard and fast, I was glad for all the running sessions with Dimitri. I followed the nausea in my stomach, and after a while, I found myself at the mouth of a cave. As usual, I froze up as memories hit me like a speeding train. Everyone running from Strigoi. Dimitri falling. The desperate look in his eyes telling me to run. Me abandoning him. I shook them off as Dimitri came to a halt next to me.

"_Roza..." _Dimitri sighed, seeing my hesitation. He was remembering too.

"I left you. That will haunt me forever. I _can't _leave her." I said, pushing all my strength into my voice. Dimitri gave me a look that said he didn't understand what I was doing. Good, I thought. Then it clicked into place. He realized what I was doing.

"Rose, no. You think I can just let you go in there?" He yelled, putting a hand on either side of my face and forcing me to look him in the eye.

"Yes, I do. You thought I could just abandon you? You thought I could just forget about you? We all have to make sacrifices for the people we love, Dimitri." I said, giving him one last look, before breaking away and bursting into the Cave with the stake I lifted from him.


	3. The Hunt

**Hey, Ya'll.**

**So, in this chapter, Rose goes a little more crazy, and Dimitri finds out all about Rose's quest to save him from being Strigoi.**

**Hope Ya'll like it. :)**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were true, I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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Previously:

_"Rose, no. You think I can just let you go in there?" He yelled, putting a hand on either side of my face and forcing me to look him in the eye._

_"Yes, I do. You thought I could just abandon you? You thought I could just forget about you? We all have to make sacrifices for the people we love, Dimitri." I said, giving him one last look, before breaking away and bursting into the Cave with the stake I lifted from him._

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He knew I'd taken it, but he didn't know that I didn't plan to use it unless I could get Lissa. I turned around to give him a sad look, before the Strigoi lurking in the shadows behind me grabbed me, and dragged me away.

"Dimitri!" I screamed. This was wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen. My plan had backfired, and I was going to pay for it. As they dragged me further, I couldn't see him anymore. My shirt had lifted, and I suspected my stomach was raw and bloody.

"Dimitri, please!" I begged, my words slurring into violent sobs. My nails clawed at the rock and dirt below me to no avail. The Strigoi had me by my legs now. I desperately grabbed for the stake, but it slipped from my hands before I got a good grip on it. I screamed in frustration and terror.

"Rose!" I heard a new voice yell, before the Strigoi dragging my legs dropped them and flew into the wall. Dimitri rushed over to me and helped me stand. I sobbed into his chest; wrapping my arms around him and held on like my life depended on it. I felt him pick me up and run from the approaching footsteps. Once we were back in the light, Dimitri set me down. I refused to let go, and he had to pry my arms from around him. My strength failed me, and without his support, I collapsed to the dead leaves on the ground. Dimitri knelt down next to me.

"_Roza_...You need to stand up," He said, before turning to look behind him. "Adrian, grab her legs. She won't be able to walk. She's in shock."

I felt ridiculous, being carried back to the old Human hospital like that. Christian rushed out of the hospital, and helped the two boys put me in the backseat of the SUV.

Chapter Three

Christian drove, and Adrian sat in the passenger seat. Dimitri sat in the back with me, his jacket draped over me as I leant against his arm. My stomach hurt, and was probably infected, but I didn't care. My mind flashed back to my first official day Guarding Lissa. Viktor Dashkov had taken Lissa, Natalie, Camille, and I to the mall.

"It's funny how we are the ones who lived. Worry and fight. It's all we do, and it's us that survive." I murmured, slightly oblivious to what I was actually saying. But Adrian turned around in his seat, his face filled with surprise.

"Survival is questionable. How is it truly survival, when your minds are gone?" He said, in the same creepy tone my voice had taken on. Dimitri looked at the two of us, confused.

"If you two don't shut up, I'm kicking one of you out." Christian said, pressing the gas pedal a little harder.

"_Roza, _are you alright?" Dimitri asked me. I nodded and looked back to Adrian. He was still staring at me as if I had two heads.

"What?" I snapped.

"Do you have any idea what you just said?" Adrian asked.

"I didn't say anything. Turn around." I growled. I saw Christian and Dimitri exchange a look in the rear view mirror.

"Maybe..." Christian started to say. Dimitri shot him a dark look.

"No. The bond was broken. It's not possible." He said; his voice hard.

None of us said another word for the rest of the drive.

When we arrived at the court, we all split up. Adrian went to see his mother, Christian went to the feeders, and Dimitri dragged me up to my room.

"Really, I'm fine." I complained as he unlocked my door.

"Rose," He said, hugging me to him. "Do you realize how stupid that was? Do you know how painful it was to watch them drag you away like that?" He asked; his voice frantic. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Yes. I know exactly how painful. I also know how painful it is to watch them drag away and drain the life out of the man I love, with no hope of saving him. The man I risked my life for. The man I tried to kill." I whispered; pulling away from him and curling up on my bed, letting tears drip onto the crimson and gold pillows. Dimitri seemed at a loss for words to say.

"When Mason told me that they'd turned you, a big part of me died. I dropped out of the Academy, and tried to leave without Lissa knowing. But she found me as I was leaving." I whispered. Dimitri came and lay down next to me, propping himself onto his elbow.

"Tell me the story of how you came to find...Strigoi me." He said. I rolled over to face him, and saw that he was smiling. One of the smiles that made my heart soar, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"After securing some cash from Adrian, I left. I headed straight for Siberia. I started my Hunt at the Nightingale. I spent a few days studying the Moroi, looking for anyone that could help me find Baia. One night, I ran into an Alchemist. Sydney. She was the one who led me to Baia. When we were almost there, we were attacked by Strigoi again, and I summoned the Ghosts to help me. I took care of the Strigoi, but afterwards the Ghosts turned on me. I passed out. When I woke up, I was in Baia, and your mother was taking care of me. I had to tell them about...uh, what happened. We had your funeral. That was the first time I ever spoke to my dad. Then we all gathered, and they asked me to tell them a story about you. I told them how brave you were the night of the attack...I told them how amazing you were. I told them how the Dimitri they knew died protecting those that he loved." I had to stop here to pull myself together. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself.

"The next day, I spent with your Grandmother. She made me carry tonnes of bricks to this couple. Mark and Oksana. They were like me and Lissa. Mark helped me, and showed me how I could fight off the darkness. When we got back, Sydney was gone. I spoke to Viktoria for a while. Your family had worked out that we were together. She called me her sister." I said, smiling. Dimitri wiped away a stray tear that escaped my hold. I cleared my throat, and continued.

"Later on, Viktoria and I were talking to a friend of hers, and I met this man. Denis. He was the one who invited me to go Strigoi hunting with him and his friends. I declined, of course. I wanted to stay. With your family. They accepted me, and when I was there, the pain wasn't so bad." I told him. He smiled.

"Call me crazy, but I'm glad you didn't. They would have been good for you, but I would still be that...that monster." He said, toying with my fingers. I smiled, deciding I best just tell him the next part. He wasn't going to be happy either way.

"Viktoria was going out that night on a date. With a Moroi. The dress she wore...it would have put me to shame. She invited me to go meet him. The minute her back was turned, he started hitting n me. The two of them left, and I ran into Abe again. I made a deal with him. His men got rid of the Moroi, and I would leave Baia, just like he wanted. It was because of this that Viktoria started hating me. She...she told me I had no place staying with them. So, I left." I concluded. Dimitri's eyes had hardened.

"My sister...she really said that? She really did those things?" Dimitri asked. I nodded, and he sighed in frustration.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Don't be. Do you still have Sydney's number?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said, pulling my cell out of my back pocket. It was scratched up, but it worked.

"Call her. Tell her to get in contact with my mother. Tell her we're coming." He said, leaning back on the pillows and resting his arm over his face as I made the call.

"It's done." I said, as I hung up.


	4. The Belikova's

**Hey, Ya'll.**

**So, I've gotten into the habit of uploading another part everyday. Just as well, it's a fairly long Fic.**

**Hope ya'll like this chapter. Ooooh, The Belikova's. :)**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own Vampire Academy. I probably couldn't write it as well as Richelle did anyway. :)**

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Chapter Four

"When do we leave?" He asked me.

"Tomorrow morning at the earliest. She needs to get there and explain. They still think you're...dead." I said.

"Well then...We still have tonight." He said. He had a look of adoration in his endless brown eyes that took my breath away.

"Yes we do." I said. Next thing I knew, we were kissing. We spent the rest of that night in each other's arms, happy to be alive.

We left for Baia the next morning. We flew to Novosibirsk and went sightseeing first.

"It wasn't this pretty last time I was here. I was too morbid." I said, smiling up at him as we walked down one of the main roads; hand in hand. It was broad daylight, so we weren't in any immediate danger.

"Rose, you're annoying and moody at the best of times. I cannot possibly imagine you morbid. You still haven't told me the next part of the story." He said, squeezing my hand gently as we walked.

"Well, let's see. After I left, I went to the address Denis had given me. 83 Kasakova. He couldn't believe I'd come, but he accepted me nonetheless. I told them to take me hunting. They told me their plan first. It sucked. I helped them using everything that you taught me. Our first Strigoi was useless. It took five of us to pin him down. I tortured him until I knew he didn't know anything, and then Denis killed him I cleaned up my mess, and went on. We caught another two before Nathan. Nathan was the hardest. I got the information out of him, and then attacked him. Forcing him to remember my name. Then...I let him go. The others hated backing down, but they didn't get how important it was. After Nathan finally left, we hunted a little longer, before leaving. We hunted every night for almost a week. One night, Tamara was late. Denis and I went to go get her. Denis wet inside to get her, and I stayed on guard. I went to see if an old woman was okay. She danced, and I was distracted by the fact that despite everything, the small things in life could still make me smile. Then I sensed a Strigoi, and spun around. I failed when I saw it was you. I mean I literally failed. Everything inside me shut down." I said. His face was grim. He could remember as well as I. He suddenly stopped, and hugged me.

"I'm so sorry. I put you through so much. This must be killing you." He murmured into my hair. I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in the wonderful scent of him.

"You have no idea." I murmured into his chest.

"Come on, _Roza. _We've got to get going." He said, taking my hand and leading me back the way we came. Toward the plane.

Once we were onboard, I settled next to him and rested my head on his arm.

"I must say, I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing Viktoria again. Well...I am. But she must hate me terribly." I said. I had no idea how wrong I could be.

As we approached the small house that Olena lived in, I heard screaming. I braced myself, while Dimitri laughed. I shot him a questioning look, as a child latched herself onto me. I toppled backwards, getting the wind knocked out of me. I don't think I'd ever seen Dimitri laugh that hard.

"Rose! You came back!" Viktoria squealed.

"What? Your brother isn't here? Alive?" Dimitri teased. Viktoria jumped up and latched herself around him, squealing something in Russian. I got up and brushed the dirt off of my butt.

"Rose." I heard Olena call. I let Dimitri catch up with his sister, and walked over to her.

"It's good to see you again, Olena." I said. She hugged me warmly.

"Thank you so much for bringing Dimka back. Yeva told me that he would return, but we all believed he was a monster." She said, her gentle brown eyes glistening with tears.

"It wasn't all me. Queen Vasilisa had a large part in his rescue." I told her.

"I'd very much like to meet her. Maybe you could introduce us, so I can thank her?" She asked.

"I'd be happy to." It was then, that Dimitri walked over with Viktoria in tow. The tears that glistened in Olena's eyes trickled down her cheeks as she hugged Dimitri.

"Oh, Dimka. Welcome home." She said, smiling through her tears. I watched the two of them fondly, and then my arm was tugged. I looked over to see Viktoria.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked in a small voice. I nodded, and we walked around the side of the house.

"I needed to tell you I was sorry. What I did...what I said...It was cruel. You do belong with us. You gave me my brother back." She told me, emotion thick in her voice. I smiled at Viktoria, and couldn't help but noticing how much she'd changed. Her shoulder length brown hair now hung at her waist, and she was almost as tall as me.

"Viktoria," I said, giving her a hard look. "You should never apologize for the things you've said. Rather, you should move on and accept that it's in the past." I said. Oh, hell. I sounded like Dimitri with his stupid Zen life lessons. She beamed at me and gave me a hug, squeezing the air out of my lungs.

"Choking...Not...Breathing..." I gasped out. She let go, and gave me an apologetic look. I smiled at her and patted her arm fondly.

"Come on. Let's go inside." I said. She happily agreed, and we walked inside the kitchen to the others. Karolina was mid-conversation with Dimitri when she saw me.

"Welcome Back, Rose." She said, giving me a warm smile. I nodded my thanks, and went to stand next to Dimitri.

"How is it possible?" Karolina asked Dimitri. He turned to me, hoping I could elaborate. I sighed.

"Long story short, Queen Lissa and I charmed a silver stake with a rare magic called spirit, and staked him." I said, making it as painless as possible. Karolina and Olena's faces paled, but they didn't say anything. Olena quickly changed the subject.

"Well then...Dinner's in about twenty minutes." She said, breaking up our little gathering. Dimitri took my hand and led me from the room, and into the little lounge room. We sat down on the couch, and he wrapped my arm around my waist, pulling me to him. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"What're we going to do?" I asked him. He leaned down and kissed my hair.

"I don't know, _Roza._ I really don't." He whispered. Suddenly he stood up, and walked over to the shelf where the beautiful books sat that I'd admired last time I was here sat. He pulled out a small black book, with gold Cyrillic lettering on the cover and spine.

"What're you doing?" I asked, staring at him as if he had two heads. He gave me a look that said just-go-with-it-Rose. I over-exaggerated a sigh and curled up next to him as he began to read.

I was speechless as he finished the lat page of the book, closing it with a smug smile on his face that made his brown eyes sparkle. The way he read it...it was magical.

"So you approve of me reading them now, _Roza?_" He asked, setting the book on the table.

"Wouldn't be the same if you didn't, Comrade." I teased. He smiled and kissed my forehead, as soft footsteps signalled someone was coming. Damn.

"Rose, Dimka, _Materi _said to tell you that dinner's ready." Viktoria mumbled, obviously embarrassed that she'd walked in on us.

"Thank you, Viktoria." Dimitri said, flashing a bright smile. She beamed back, before retreating back to the kitchen.

"Well, Damn." I muttered. He suddenly grabbed me, pulling me in for an earth shattering kiss. I moulded my lips to his and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"What was that for?" I asked, pulling away to catch my breath.

"For being you." He said smiling, before dragging me off the couch and into the kitchen. He sat down next to Sonya, and I took a seat in between him and Viktoria. We all ate, and everyone was absorbed in their conversations.

"Soo..." Viktoria said, eyeing me expectantly.

"What?" I asked, shooting her a confused look.

"You gonna marry my brother?" She asked. I almost choked on the Borsch.

"Um...I don't know?" I said, wiping my chin in case I missed any.

"You should. He's crazy about you. Like, literally." She said matter of fact-ly. I smirked at her and went back to my food.

Chapter Five

I sat on the front porch alone, unconsciously rubbing my arms against the cold air. I heard the door open behind me, and I turned around to see who it was.

"Dimitri..." I breathed. He sat down next to me and wrapped a soft blue blanket around my arms. I snuggled into the blanket and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Tomorrow we have to leave, don't we?" I asked. He sighed, and wrapped an arm around me.

"Yes. We have no choice. If Adrian and Christian told the Guardians, we have to keep moving until we find her." He said, kissing my hair. A single tear trickled down my cheek.

"I miss her, Dimitri. I miss her so much. It's all my fault." I said, pressing my face into his shirt, not letting him see me cry.

"_Roza..."_ He whispered, trying to get me to look at him. I refused to. He sighed, and pulled me to him, hugging me as a silently wept, staining his shirt. After what felt like hours, I raised my head, my eyes sore and rimmed red.

"Are you okay, love?" He asked me, stroking my cheek. I nodded.

"I guess...I'm just...really...tired." I said, my words beginning to slur as I struggled to stay awake. Dimitri stood up and put an arm under my knees, and one behind my head, and then pulled me into his arms. I started to protest, but I was too tired. My eyes closed, and I started to drift.

"Is she okay?" I heard Viktoria ask, her voice worried.

"She's tired. She's had a long week." He said, keeping his voice low. I heard a door open, and Dimitri set me down on his bed. The last thing I heard was Dimitri telling me that he loved me.


	5. Say WHAT NOW!

**Hey, Ya'll.**

**Only a short chapter today. You'll find out why at the end. :)**

**Hope Ya'll like it.**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: Ya'll know the drill. I don't own Vampire Academy...Or anything else I don't actually own... Ooh, that made no sense...Ya'll know what I mean. :D**

* * *

I woke up the next morning to Dimitri playing with my hair. I smiled and rolled over, looking him in the eye. He leaned forward and kissed me gently.

"Good morning." He murmured against my lips.

"Morning." I whispered back, kissing him again. I groaned as I rolled over and sat up.

"What?" He asked.

"We have to get up." I complained, glowering at the clock. Dimitri held back laughter as he pulled me back down onto the bed with him. I giggled and squealed happily as he pulled me against him, kissing me hungrily.

"Not yet we don't." He said, rolling so I was on top of him, straddling his hips. I laughed, and leaned down, resting my head on my hands.

"Is that so?" I asked, taunting him. I smirked at him, and brushed his lips with mine, not quite kissing him. He glared at me, and I couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"You're evil." He grumbled. He grabbed my hips and rolled so I was trapped beneath him.

"Is this my punishment? It's not very good." I asked him. Anything else I was going to say was cut off as he crushed his mouth to mine.

"No, _Roza. _But there will be punishment. Don't you worry." He whispered, his voice husky. I smiled, and suddenly nausea rolled through me. But this was different. I pushed Dimitri off of me with all the strength I had and bolted to the bathroom connected to his room. When Dimitri walked in, I was curled up on the floor next to the toilet, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"What's wrong?" He asked me, kneeling down next to me and putting a hand to my forehead, checking my temperature.

"I don't know, Dimitri." I said miserably, laying on the floor and putting my head in his lap. He smoothed my hair from my face, soothing me. I threw up once more, before Dimitri forced me into the shower, sitting me on the floor fully clothed. He turned the water on and pulled me onto his lap. I felt much better after we got out. Dimitri and I went back into his room, changing out of our dripping clothes into dry ones.

"I don't think we should leave today, _Roza._" He told me, helping me pull my shirt over my head.

"Dimitri, we have to. I'm not arguing with you about this. She needs us." I told him, finality ringing in my voice. He looked at me for a long time, before giving up and, with a sigh, nodding.

"Are you two up?" Olena's voice called through the door. Dimitri went and opened it, letting her in.

"Good morning." I said to her, smiling.

"Morning, dear. Now, I understand that you're leaving today." Olena said, getting to the point. Dimitri nodded, and explained our situation. Olena's face paled.

"I understand." She said, and then she turned to me.

"Rose. I need you to promise me that you won't let them take him again. You have to promise me." She pleaded.

"Olena, they took him by surprise once. This time, I won't let them." I said; my voice definite. She beamed and hugged me tightly.

We left an hour or so after that. Dimitri tried coaxing me to eat, but everything smelt foul to me. Hours later, he finally had enough.

"Rose. We need to stop somewhere for the night." Dimitri told me, his voice telling me he meant it. I was exhausted again, so I agreed. We checked into a cheap hotel and went up to our room. We curled up on the bed together.

"Dimi, I feel sick." I told him, feeling weak and tired. He smiled softly at the silly nickname I'd come up with.

"Where do you feel sick, sweetheart?" He asked me, running a hand through my hair.

"My stomach. It's weird. I haven't been sick in years." I said, burying my face into a pillow. He kissed my neck and got up.

"I'm going to get you something to eat." He told me, before leaving the room. I closed my eyes and cuddled up to the pillow, smelling Dimitri's aftershave. I drifted off, welcoming the familiar emptiness of sleep...But it didn't come.

"Ivashkov..." I growled, bracing myself. Sure enough, the throne room of the court came into view. Complete with Adrian perched on the throne.

"Have you got her?" He asked.

"We haven't got very far. I'm sick." I told him. He gave me a puzzled look. He studied my aura for a minute.

"How sick?"

"I threw up a few times. Why?"

"You know how your Aura used to be edged in black?" He asked. I nodded.

"Well, now the edges are white. Like...Blinding white. It's almost like-" Adrian was cut off as I lurched from the dream and ran to the bathroom. I puked noisily into the toilet. Dimitri came in a few minutes later, his face filled with worry. I burst into tears, catching him off guard. He scooped me into his arms and rocked me gently.

"Rose, this isn't right. I need to take you to the hospital." He said; voice thick with fear. I nodded; my lip quivering as I tried to suppress my sobs.

So half an hour later, we were sitting in an exam room and waiting for test results.

"Don't be scared, Roza." Dimitri said, squeezing my hand.

"I'm trying. I love you, Dimi." I whispered. The door opened, scaring both of us. was a short, chubby woman with a thick accent. Her red hair was pulled into a vicious bun, and she had glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Just cut to the chase, shall we? You're pregnant." She said plainly, her thick accent sounding bored. Dimitri paled, and my jaw dropped.


	6. Fireball explodes

**Hey Ya'll!**

**Well, Rose's pregnant. Yeah, it's been done a million times before in other fics, but I wanted to do my own version of it. :)**

**Hope ya'll like it.**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy. Not me. Sadly. :(**

**

* * *

**

_Previously:_

_"Just cut to the chase, shall we? You're pregnant." She said plainly, her thick accent sounding bored. Dimitri paled, and my jaw dropped.  
_

* * *

"It's not possible." I said to him, though I was more trying to convince myself. He gave me a look that said he was just as bewildered as me.

"Still in very early stages. About one week. But yes, very possible." She explained. One week. A whole week to be blissfully unaware that you had a tiny person inside you. A very unexpected tiny person, but still. told me I when I could go in for an ultrasound, and sent the two of us on our way.

Dimitri helped me into his car, and pulled out of the parking lot. We drove back to the hotel wordlessly, and walked up to our room. I stumbled on the stairs a few times because I was shaking, but Dimitri helped me regain my balance. In the end, he ended up picking me up and carrying me the rest of the way.

He set me down on the bed ever so gently, as if I were breakable. The funny thing is, in that moment, I was.

"What are we going to do?" He asked me, catching me off guard as he sat on the end of the bed. Normally it was me who asked that.

"I...I don't know." I said, collapsing down and burying my face into his lap. He stroked my back as loud sobs shook my body.

"_Roza, _It will be okay. Shh. We're going to be okay." He whispered, leaning down to kiss my head. I looked up at him in time to see him hastily wipe away a stray tear on his cheek. I sat up, my sore eyes taking in how vulnerable Dimitri was right now.

"I love you, Dimi, so much. And we're going to be okay. Even if we have to quit and stay at home, we can do this." I told him. His eyes flicked up to mine.

"We can't go hunting for Lissa now, Rose. You know that right. It's too dangerous." He told me. I nodded. He looked at me sympathetically, before pulling his cell phone out.

_"Alʹberta , u nas yestʹ problemy. Opoveshchenie _VSEH_. Koroleva bylo prinyato Strigoev."_ He said into his phone quickly. I heard a shouted response, before he snapped the phone closed and turned to me. (Alberta, we have a problem. Alert EVERYONE. The queen was taken by Strigoi.)

"It's out of our hands, _Roza._" He told me, taking my hand and stroking his thumb across my knuckles. I curled against his side, and sighed, content to stay this way forever. I was wallowing in misery, hoping that they found Lissa soon, when Dimitri's arm snaked around my waist and his hand rested on my stomach. I looked up at him, and found him looking down at me in wonder.

"I wonder how it's possible." I said to him, placing my hand over his.

"I was just thinking about that actually. I think it's because you were Shadow Kissed. When the bond broke and you healed yourself, I think you healed the Dhampir part of you that made it so you couldn't have children with other Dhampirs" He said. I stared, realizing how much sense it made. He lay back against the pillows, stroking my stomach gently. I rested my head on his shoulder. We fell asleep like that. War was raging in the world around us, but at that moment, we were completely at peace.

My dream shimmered a little, and I knew Adrian was pulling me to him. I went willingly, and surprisingly found myself at the Academy clinic. Adrian was sitting on one of the tables when I popped in.

"About time, Rose. Everyone's going nuts. They said Belikov called and told them about Liss. What happened to finding her yourself?" Adrian asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"We, uh...Something popped up. We can't go for her ourselves." I said, deciding not to tell him yet.

"Something popped up? Your _BEST FRIEND_ could be Strigoi for all we know, and you're busy taking house calls?" He yelled. Stuff it, I thought. He was going to find out eventually.

"I can't go after her myself because I'm frickin' pregnant, Adrian!" I screamed, my throat protesting. Adrian went white, and froze.

"Who the hell did you sleep with? Don't tell me you and Belikov split?" Adrian said, his voice shocked. I could hear bitterness, and I understood where it had come from. I'd left Adrian for Dimitri saying I wasn't meant for him. Adrian would go nuts.

"No, Adrian. We haven't split. It's kind of a long story but basically, it's Dimitri's baby." I said. His jaw dropped, looking so comical that I burst into hysterics. Suddenly there was another shimmer, and suddenly Eddie, Mia, and Christian were in the dream too.

"What the hell?" They all said in sync. I held back more laughter.

"Tell 'em, Rose. Tell your friends why you and Dimitri bailed, or I will." Adrian said, venom leaking into his voice. They all turned to me. Christian's face darkened, and the others were shocked. They probably thought I'd run away with Dimitri.

"Goddamn, Adrian. Why are you such a jerk?" I yelled, and then turned to the others. "I'm pregnant, okay? God!" I snapped, throwing my arms up and turning away. I felt someone's hand on my arm. Mia.

"Are you okay, Rose? There must be something else you're not telling us." Her blue eyes shimmered with concern. I sighed.

"I'm too weak to fight anymore. I'm about a week along, but I've already started puking and crying all the time." I said, sitting against the wall. I looked up at the others. Adrian had turned away and was looking out of the window, Eddie was watching me, sadness written all over his face, and Christian was glowering.

"Spit it out, Fireball. You're going to anyway." I said, mentally preparing myself. He looked at me a moment longer.

"Lissa is missing, and you're sleeping around with Moroi? Are you training to be a blood whore again? This is pathetic Rose, really! I thought you were better than this?" He exploded, filling the small room with his booming voice. I flinched, and my temper snapped.

"No, Christian. I got pregnant before she was taken. I AM better than that, Ignite, because the baby is Dimitri's, you _freak_!" I spat the last word at him, before ripping myself from the dream and sitting up in the bed.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Dimitri asked, squinting to see me in the darkness. His hair was a mess. I sighed, and lay back down.

"No."

"Adrian?" He asked. I shook my head.

"He's part of it, though. He dragged Mia, Eddie, and Christian into the dream and forced me to tell them I was pregnant. Christian went off, and called me a Blood Whore." I said, my voice filled with sorrow. Dimitri hugged me to his chest gently, and kissed my neck.

"It doesn't matter what they think, love. You did everything you could, and more." He whispered in my ear. I squeezed his hand, and fell asleep again. This time, thankfully, my dreams were my own.


	7. Lissa

**Hey Ya'll.**

**Not much to say..Rose's preggers, Christian currently hates her, and Adrian's a jerk...**

**What next?**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: You guys know the drill. :) I don't own VA.**

* * *

**A month later**

"Rose. _Roza._ Wake up." Dimitri said, shaking me gently. I groaned and sat up, careful not to roll onto my back.

"What?" I asked, squinting to see through the light the stung my sleep-filled eyes.

"We need to get to court. They've found Lissa. Alive." He said, pulling me off of the bed and handing me a pair of trackies. I was definitely awake now. I pulled on my pants, and searched for a shirt. The only one I could find that still fit me was a tight fitting black tank-top. I sighed and pulled it on, along with a gray sleeveless hoodie and a pair of white canvas shoes. Dimitri smiled at me, and threw the rest of my clothes into my suitcase.

"We're stopping for food on the way. I'm starving." I told him, collecting his keys and my wallet from the bed-side table.

"Already got you covered." He said, producing a small box of Doughnuts. I squealed happily and let him pull me out of the door. An hour and a half later, we were on a private plane from Alexandrov to the airstrip just inside of the Royal Court. I held Dimitri's hand and laced my fingers through his. He could tell I was nervous. I hadn't seen my friends since the spirit dream with Adrian, and that didn't end too well.

"Rose, we're there to see Lissa. If the others want to make peace, let them. Lissa is our priority." He said to me. I wasn't looking forward to seeing the other guardians. They were still mad at me and Dimitri for quitting.

"Yeah, I know." I said, and rested my head on his shoulder as he softly hummed _Russian Lullaby_ by Irving Berlin to me.

When we landed at court, I all but ran off of the plane. Hans, the Guardian that was in charge of me when I'd run away from court with Eddie and Lissa, was patrolling the airstrip. The look on his face when he saw me was priceless. That was mirrored when Dimitri came into view.

"Sh*t, Hathaway. Way to make an entrance. How's the unemployed life treating you?" Hans asked, shouting over the roar of the plane's engines.

"It's good. Been in Russia for a while. Where's Lissa?" I asked urgently. He nodded and shouted something over his shoulder at the back room. Mikhail Tanner, Sonya Karp's lover, came out and beamed when he saw me.

"Here for Lissa?" He asked us. Dimitri and I nodded, and he led us from the tiny airport toward the Royal building.

"Your room's next to Lissa's, exactly how you left it. She's in hers. Weak, but alive. As soon as we found her, we took her in for surgery. One of her lungs had died. She's better now, though. She's been asking for you." He explained. I nodded and ran into the building and towards Lissa's room. Dimitri caught up with me, and went next door to dump our bags. I went straight to her room and opened the door gently. I saw Lissa sitting awake on her bed. I gave her a one-over to see how badly she was hurt. Her right arm was heavily bandaged and bite marks peppered her neck. That and some bruising was the worst of her injuries. I opened the door fully and walked in.

"Rose! You're here! How could you quit? Nobody would tell me why. They just said to ask you when you get here. What happened?" She shouted; her voice a strange cross between Worry, Anger, Sadness, and joy.

"I'm so glad to see you're safe. I tried to find you. I really did. But... well..." I started to say, not sure how to tell her.

"But our dear Rose Hathaway got herself knocked up." A bitter voice said from behind me. Adrian. I didn't need a bond to know what Lissa was thinking.

"No, before you ask, I wasn't sleeping around. It's Dimitri's." I said as my Russian god walked into the room. He smiled at Lissa.

"Hang on...What?" She asked, getting more and more confused. I sighed and filled her in on everything that had happened since she was taken, and Dimitri piped in occasionally to add his point of view. Once I was done, Dimitri explained his theory of how I was pregnant.

"Are you going to keep it?" Lissa asked me, her face filled with happiness for me.

"Yes. That's why I had to give up being a Guardian for now. I can't fight, not for a while." I explained. Lissa leaned forward and hugged me warmly.

"It doesn't matter, Rose. As long as you're still around, I don't care. I'm happy for you, really." She said. Tears filled my eyes, and I beamed at her. Our moment was ruined the second Christian walked into the room. He took one look at me, and glowered, moving to stand next to Lissa protectively.

"I'm out." I snapped, storming from the room, leaving a bewildered Lissa and Dimitri shaking his head. I walked from the building and past the garden Eddie and I had created, and towards the boundaries. I sat against a tree and closed my eyes.

"Mason, I really wish you were here." I whispered, as a light breeze ruffled my hair.

"So it's true then." My mother said, walking towards me with the same bitter expression on her face that I knew so well.

"What? That your whore of a daughter finally returned, or that she got knocked up." I said, not bothering to stand up.

"Both! Rosemarie Hathaway, do you know how much of a big deal this is? As if that wasn't enough, you had the nerve to quit! Both of you!" She screamed, getting it out of her system.

"Do you even know the full story, Mom?" I asked softly, looking at her pained expression.

"Yes, Rose, I do." She sighed, sitting down next to me.

"Then you should understand. You of all people." I told her. Our eyes met, and remorse flickered across her features.

"I do, Rose. Believe me. But you didn't need to quit. I just hated being the last person to find out. When Christian told the Guardians, it spread across the court like wildfire until it eventually reached the Academy this morning, along with the news that you were back." She said in a small voice. My mother had changed a lot. She wasn't the same neglectful parent she once was. She cared.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry." I whispered, hugging her tightly and fighting back tears. She hugged me back just as tightly, and kissed my forehead.

"Its okay, Rose. I'm happy for you. Really." She said, releasing me and smiling at me warmly.

"Thanks, Mom." I said, smiling back.

"Oh, which reminds me, Adrian was looking for you. He said you bolted from Lissa's room." She told me, standing up. I groaned, and thumped the back of my head against the trunk of the tree.

"Do you _want_ to have an aneurism?" Adrian asked me, sitting on the grass across from me.

"Really Adrian, you are the last person I want to see right now." I growled at him.

"I'm sorry, alright. I know I acted like a jerk. I get why you hate me. I just wanted to make peace. We were friends once upon a time.

"Yeah, we were." I said, smiling fondly remembering Adrian, Lissa and I sitting around and laughing while eating Chinese food.

"I just wanted to tell you that I get that you've made your choice, and I respect that. But since Belikov has always been an a*s to me, I plan to spoil his little surprise." Adrian said; a smirk on his face.

"What did you do, Adrian?" I asked; my voice wary as I took in the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"When he isn't around, go into his suitcase. Left pocket. You'll see what I mean." He said, standing up and walking away much like my mother did. I sat there for another five minutes, before I finally got up.

"Rose! There you are!" Mia squealed, running up to me and hugging me. Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea. You'd think I was gone for years.

"Hey Mia. Sorry. I have to go. I need to pee." I said, pulling her off of me.

"Oh, okey dokey. Meet you later? Everyone's getting together for lunch." She asked. I nodded and ran off in the other direction. I made my way back to my room. Once I'd peed, changed and eaten a bar of chocolate from the mini fridge, I was surprisingly tired. I curled up onto the bed and drifted off into a calming, peaceful sleep.


	8. Broken phone

**Hey Ya'll!**

**Only a real short chapter this time. I'll make it up to ya'll though. I promise. :)**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**Disclaimer: No, Vampire Academy does not belong to me. You know what does belong to me, though? This peanut. ;D**

* * *

Chapter Six

I woke up four hours later to Dimitri rolling me onto my side.

"Sorry to wake you, love. You were on your back again." He whispered, kissing my cheek. I groaned and rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"I missed lunch didn't I?" I grumbled. He nodded, hugging me to him.

"It doesn't matter. It's been hard. They all understand." He murmured, making a trail of kisses down the back of my neck, his lips brushing the tiny tattoos there. I sighed, completely content to stay like this forever. Until Dimitri's phone rang. I leant over me to grab it, but I batted him back and lunged for it. He pinned my arms and tried to reach for it. I rolled so I was sitting on him, causing a giggling fit to erupt between the two of us. I grabbed the phone and answered it, pinning his arms with my other hand. I put it on loudspeaker and smirked at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Hello?" Dimitri answered loud enough for the caller to hear.

"Oh, Dimka! I'm so glad you answered! I got out, Dimka!" Tasha's lilting voice rang through the speaker. Our smiles both popped out of existence. Dimitri's eyes darkened, and in a fit of rage, I launched the phone at the wall and smashing it to pieces.

"She ruins _everything!" I screamed, getting off of Dimitri and pacing around the room. My temper was worse with my pregnancy hormones, and before I knew what I was doing, I threw all of my weight behind a punch aimed for the wall. I pulled my bleeding fist away to reveal a hole in the crumbling plaster._

"Oh Hell! Rose!" Dimitri hissed, jumping up as I cradled my first to my chest.

"I'll be fine." I said; my brain slightly foggy as I recovered from my tantrum.

"That doesn't look fine." He said, ignoring my protests and gently took my hand and led me to the bathroom. He grabbed a cloth and ran it under warm water, then proceeded to wipe away the blood that was running down my arm. Once the blood was gone, it revealed a brutal gash that stretched across my knuckles. He sighed, and placed the cloth back over my hand so he could go find a med kit.

"How you aren't paralyzed from the neck down with your temper amazes me, _Roza." He teased half-heartedly, pulling a bandage from the kit and gently wrapping it around my hand. He tied it off, and kissed it gently._

"How could she have escaped Dimitri?" I asked desperately, careful to not push myself into another temper fit.

"How did three teenagers break a dangerous criminal out of Tarasov weeks after they graduated?" He asked me rhetorically. I sighed, realizing what he was getting at.

"Compulsion." I whispered. He nodded, and pulled me to his chest in a warm embrace.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." A small voice whispered from the doorway. I turned my head to see Christian standing there, and my mood plummeted. Again.

"I need to talk to you, Rose. Now." He said, seeing I was about to tell him to go to hell. I looked up at Dimitri, who nodded, and pulled on a shirt.

"I'll be with the Guardians Rose. I need to fill them in. I'll be back." He said, kissing me gently before leaving the room. I turned my attention to Christian, crossing my arms and leaning against the doorframe that led to the bathroom.

"Five minutes, Ignite. Spill." I told him; my voice taking on the businesslike tone I'd used when I'd interrogated Strigoi.

"It's Natasha." He said, his voice growing even colder when he said her name.

"She escaped? We know. She called Dimitri." I said, gesturing toward the bloody hole in the wall, and revealing my hand.

"Did she also say how she escaped?" He asked.

"Nope. Didn't have time. I killed his phone." I told him. He glanced over at the other side of the room where the phone was still laying on the floor in pieces.

"Jesus Christ Rose." He mumbled, and then looked back at me, anger and sadness flickering in his eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, standing up straight and uncrossing my arms.

"She's in league with the Strigoi." His voice grew shaky, but he held his composure. I blanched, and started to run for the door to tell Dimitri.

"Rose, wait! There's more. Tarasov was in the Russian wilderness." He said. I stopped in my tracks and turned to him.

"What's your point?" I asked impatiently, desperately wanting to run to Dimitri.

"She was awoken after she broke out. Here's the name of the person she drained." He said sadly, handing me a small scrap of paper that looked like it had been torn out of a case file. I read it, and my heart sank all the way to my feet, and shattered when it hit the bottom.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry I had to leave it on a massive cliff hanger, but I've been really busy.**

**More bad news...I probably won't be able to update until Monday. _ It all depends if I have my Drama performance. **

**I promise I'll make it up to Ya'll though. :)**


	9. Authors Note

**(A/N) :**

**I'm putting 'Now and Forever' on hold for the time being. I haven't really got a lot of time to write lately because of school and stuff like that.**

**I'll still try to update whenever I can, though.**

**Lots of Love**

**~Little-Dhampir**

**xox**


	10. Author's noteAGAIN

Okay, I've got bad news, and good news.

The **bad** news is no matter how hard I try, it won't let me upload the next part of _'Now and Forever'._

The **good** news is, I have a new story I'll be uploading soon called _'Her Final Words'._

It's an Alice in Wonderland fan fiction about...well...Alice in Wonderland. :P

Sort of. You'll have to wait and see. :D

I'll keep trying, but no promises.

Lots of Love,

Little-Dhampir

xox


	11. The Cemetery

**BOO! Guess Whoooo. That's right kiddies, I'm back!**

**I am SO sorry this took so long to upload! My USB got hacked, and someone altered the word document, and it wouldn't let me use it...All very confusing...**

**But anyways, I REALLY hope ya'll like this chapter. It's one of my personal favourites. Ya'll will find out why after you read it. :)**

**Thank ya'll to the people who have favourited me, and are following along with this story. It means a lot to me...ANYWAY, I'm going to stop talking, so ya'll can read. :)**

**~Little-Dhampir xox**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: "Rose...Do the disclaimer..."**  
**Rose: "But Taayllaaaaa..."**  
**Christian: "Rose, just do the damn disclaimer."**  
**Rose: "Fine...As much as Tayla wishes she owned VA, and Christian *shudders*, she doesn't. Can I go now?**  
**Me: "Sure." **

* * *

Previously:

_"She's in league with the Strigoi." His voice grew shaky, but he held his composure. I blanched, and started to run for the door to tell Dimitri._

_"Rose, wait! There's more. Tarasov was in the Russian wilderness." He said. I stopped in my tracks and turned to him._

_"What's your point?" I asked impatiently, desperately wanting to run to Dimitri._

_"She was awoken after she broke out. Here's the name of the person she drained." He said sadly, handing me a small scrap of paper that looked like it had been torn out of a case file. I read it, and my heart sank all the way to my feet, and shattered when it hit the bottom._

I thanked him quickly, and despite my bulging stomach, I ran from the room and over to the Guardians building to Dimitri.

When I found him, I literally leapt into his arms and cried.

"Rose? Rose, What's wrong?" He asked me, bewildered, as he hugged me reassuringly.

"Tasha. She's a Strigoi. Christian found out who she killed to become one." I squeaked, my voice shooting up two octaves.

"What? Who was it, Rose?" Hans asked, coming up behind Dimitri. I pulled away and pulled the scrap of paper from my pocket and smoothed it out. I handed it to Hans, unable to bear to hand it to Dimitri. He took it and understanding made him sigh and close his eyes with pity.

"Who the hell was it?" Dimitri demanded, turning to Hans. His control was beginning to break.

"It says Sonya Belikov." Hans said sadly. I could only watch sadly as Dimitri broke. I dragged him from the building painfully, and back to our room. He wouldn't want people to see him like this. I knew him too well.

Once we were inside and the door was firmly locked, whatever was left of his heart exploded into dust. He slumped to the ground and buried his face in his hands as violent sobs shook his entire body.

"Oh, Dimitri..." I cried with him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I hadn't known Sonya very well, but she was Dimitri's sister.

"W-we have t-to go back, Roza." He whimpered in-between sobs.

"I know, Dimi. I know. We will. I promise you. We'll go as soon as we can." I told him, tears streaming down my face as I brushed the hair away from his. He looked so vulnerable. Dimitri loved his family unconditionally, and he would have died for them. I kissed him gently, and got up.

"N-no. Don't leave me." He pleaded, grabbing my wrist.

"Don't you want me to get plane tickets?" I asked him, trying to compose myself to calm him down. He shook his head.

"N-Not y-yet." He sobbed. I sat back down next to him, and put a hand on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me. I faltered as I saw his eyes. They were a painful red and tears were still running down his face. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"Listen to me, Dimitri. Natasha will _not _get away with this. No matter what happens, always remember that. I am going to kill her, even if it's with my dying breath." I told him seriously. He nodded sadly, and pulled me to him, hugging me tightly. I realized how much he needed his family in that moment. But I wouldn't move until he said I could. I couldn't bear to see him like this. Dimitri was invincible. A god.

"Dimitri, sweetie. I need to get up." I said, nausea swirling through my stomach. He let me go instantly, I and I bolted to the bathroom just in time. I stood up, brushed my teeth, and walked back out into the bedroom. Dimitri had moved. He wasn't on the floor anymore. He was rummaging through his wardrobe.

"Dimitri?" I asked He didn't answer. I walked up to him and put my hand on his arm.

"Dimitri, what are you doing?" I asked him, starting to get worried.

"Like hell I'm losing you too." He mumbled, closing the wardrobe. He grabbed me gently around the waist, and pulled me onto the bed with him.

"What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere, Comrade." I told him; sadness filling me as I took in his red eyes and wet cheeks.

"That's what I was hoping for." He said, resting a small box on my small baby bump. I looked at it confused for a second, before he reached over and opened it. Nestled in the fabric was a small ring, tiny diamonds embedded into the gold band in the shape of a rose. It looked very old, and it was beautiful.

"Wait a second...Are you proposing?" I asked him, a huge smile on my face.

"Depends. Are you going to say yes?" He asked back in the same tone I used. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Yesyesyes!" I squealed, laughing. He hugged me back, and kissed my hair.

"Thank you, _Roza._ I was going to wait...But..." He started to say. I cut him off.

"Dimitri Belikov, I couldn't care less when you asked me, or how you did it. You could drag me to Vegas right now, and I would be completely happy. As long as it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you." I told him, kissing him gently.

"About time!" I heard a voice call through the door. It was only then I registered cheering, and got up to open the door.

"How long were you there?" I asked with a sigh, letting Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie, and Mia into our room.

"Me, I was listening the whole time. Christian got here just as he asked you." Lissa beamed. I rolled my eyes, and felt Dimitri's arm wrap around my waist. I leaned into him.

"Are you okay, Dimitri? I heard what happened. Man...I can't believe she would stoop so low." Adrian asked, concern filling his voice. Dimitri just nodded, wanting to move away from the subject. Then Mia stepped forward, and hugged Dimitri warmly. It wasn't romantic or anything. It was just to let him know she was there.

"I'm so, so sorry." Mia whispered, stepping back. I saw Eddie take her hand. I didn't know they were together. I was happy for them. Eddie deserved some good in his life. We all talked for a while longer, before one by one, everyone slowly left, leaving only Dimitri and I.

"Why don't you get plane tickets? I need to go grab Eddie. I'll be back before you know it." I told Dimitri. He pulled me to him for a mind blowing kiss.

"Okay. Don't be too long." He said, his voice light, but sad. I nodded, and dashed in the direction that Eddie had gone. When I caught up to him, I explained what I wanted to do, and he was happy to help. Five minutes later we were getting out of the car, a few miles east of the Court. I approached the lonely iron gates, and swung them open gently.

Mason was buried with the other Guardians. He died a hero, but you wouldn't know it from his headstone. _In loving memory of Mason Ashford. Lost, but not forgotten. _That was all that was written on the headstone. No date of birth and death. No reason for death. Not even a picture.

"Hey Mase. I've missed ya' buddy." Eddie said; his voice thick as we sat across from his headstone.

"We all have." I murmured, leaning forward and kissing his headstone. I placed the small white tulip at the base of his headstone.

"You'll never believe it, Mase. Little Rose is growing up! Getting married and having a baby and everything. You'd be proud of her." Eddie said to him.

"And Eddie's got himself a girlfriend. He's with Mia now. We're all one big happy family. If you were here, we'd be complete." I said, my voice breaking on the last word. Eddie reached over and took my hand; showing me that he understood. I looked up, and saw tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Mase. I'm sorry I was so horrible to you. You were the best friend in the world, and it wasn't fair of me. I wish I could have been fast enough." I said, hanging my head.

"It wasn't your fault, Rose. It was his time. I'm sure he's happy now, wherever he is. He's found peace." Eddie said to me. A gentle breeze suddenly picked up. I had a feeling it was Mason, confirming. I was probably crazy though.

"I want you to do something for me, Mason. Make sure Dimitri's sister is okay. Dimitri would want you to do that for her." I whispered, not able to talk louder because of the tears threatening to spill. Something shimmered in the corner of my vision, and my head snapped up, bracing myself for an attack.

But it wasn't. It was Mason.

"Rose. Please tell me you see him too?" Eddie asked; his face pale. I nodded, and stood up; walking toward Mason's ghost. He was different now. He was smiling.

"Is she okay?" I asked him. He nodded. "Thank you, Mason." I smiled at him and turned away to tell Eddie to come over.

"_Rose, wait_." Mason said; his voice soft, but easy to hear in the empty cemetery. I turned back.

"_Don't blame yourself for what happened. I made my choice. I knew I would die if I tried to help you. I was trying to buy you some time. I'll always love you, Rose. No matter what. I'm so happy for you. And you too Eddie. I'll always be with you._" He called; his voice ever so slightly louder.

"I took care of your girl, just like you wanted." Eddie said; emotion thick in his voice.

"_I know, Ed. I couldn't have done it better myself._" He said, and then turned to look over his shoulder at something the pair of us couldn't see. "_Dimitri's waiting for you Rose, and Mia's waiting for you too Eddie. You need to get back._" Mason said. Eddie turned, almost sprinting for the car. I couldn't hold it against him. Eddie was much like Dimitri.

"Goodbye, Mason." I whispered, before turning and following Eddie.

From behind me, I heard mason's voice call "I love you, Rose." When I turned around, he was gone. I sighed sadly, and left the cemetery with Eddie. We both cried silently the entire way home.


	12. This is it

**I was bored, so I decided I'd give ya'll another update! :)**

**I've decided to try something new. The first person to review will get a sneak peek at the next part.**

**Well...That's pretty much it. Enjoy!**

**~Little-Dhampir xox**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: "Disclaimer, please. Somebody? Adrian?"**  
**Adrian: "What's in it for me?"**  
**Me: "I'll make Rose hook up with you..."**  
**Adrian: "TAYLA DOESN'T OWN VA!"**  
**Me: "Haha. I was joking. Dimitri would kill you.**  
**Dimitri: "Damn straight." **

* * *

Chapter Seven

After ressuring Dimitri that I was fine, and I just missed Mason, I decided to tell him what he'd told me.

"Mason found Sonya, Dimitri. She's okay. She didn't have trouble crossing over." I told him. He closed his eyes and smiled softly.

"_Spasibo nebesam... Spasibo Mason."_ He breathed. He opened his eyes, and smiled at me hugely. It was a real smile.

"Did you get tickets?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"No point." He said. I gaped.

"But I thought you said..."

"They're coming here." He said quickly, cutting me off. I smiled.

"Are they okay with that?" I asked.

"Yeah, but they can't be here for another month. The weather is all screwed, and after the attack, they don't want to risk anything." He sighed. I gave him a 'cheer-up-Dimi' smile.

"At least they can come." I told him.

"And we can tell them about the Wedding." He smiled.

"And the baby." I added. He laughed, and we started making plans for the wedding.

"Why don't we have it while they're here?" I asked him. As soon as the words left my lips, I swear he lit up like a goddamn light bulb.

"You'd do that?" He asked, slightly bewildered.

"I'd do a lot of things for you, Dimitri." I told him. He hugged me warmly, and grabbed my hand for a second. I pulled it away and the ring was slipped onto my right finger.

"Your fathers going to love that." He mumbled. I rolled my eyes at him, and kissed his cheek gently. He was as frightened of my father, as he was of a missing duster. Speaking of which…

"Holy cr*p, Dimitri! Where's your duster?" I asked him, genuinely worried. Although it gave me something I could get him for Christmas, a missing duster equalled a very unhappy Dimitri. He gave me a guilty look.

"You left it in Russia…Didn't you…" I asked him, rhetorically. He nodded his head slightly, and I gave an over-exaggerated sigh and got up. I walked over to my suitcase sitting in the bottom of the wardrobe, and pulled out the one he'd given me before he left with Christian for university.

"Rose, you really are the most amazing woman in the world." He told me, hugging the jacket to his chest like a blanket. I suddenly wondered what I was getting myself into.

**Six weeks later**

"Rose." Someone mumbled, shaking me. Oh Hell no.

"Rose, get up." They said again.

"P*ss off." I mumbled, unwilling to leave my bed.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, get up or so help me I will melt down your stake and have it made into a necklace for Tasha." Lissa's voice said loudly. Without a second thought, my eyes snapped open and I jumped awkwardly out of bed, tripping and landing on my butt. I looked around to see Mia and Lissa doubled over with Laughter, and Viktoria looking at me in sympathy. The Belikov's arrived three days ago, and were doing their very best to hide their sadness. They were over the moon when I announced we were getting married during their two week stay. Olena and Karolina immediately joined my mother and Lissa in the wedding plans.

"They said they'd cut my hair. I know how you feel." She mumbled to me. I smiled and hugged her warmly.

"It's sad. In seven hours, Rose Hathaway will be no more." Lissa said, offering me a small smile.

"Thanks for the moral support." I said sarcastically, hugging my best friend tightly.

"Come ON. We have to get ready!" Mia complained, bouncing up and down. I sighed and, with Viktoria's help, got to my feet. We planned to get something to eat, get back within' two hours, and get ready. I didn't feel the usual pang I did in the morning due to morning sickness, so I sighed and plastered a genuine smile on my face. I pulled on some dark denim shorts, and a cute red tank top.

"Okay, here's what's happening. Adrian, Abe, Janine, Christian, and Eddie have all graciously agreed to help keep you and Dimitri at opposite ends of the court until it's time to get to the chapel at quarter to four." Lissa explained. I started to protest that it was stupid, but she cut me off.

"It's tradition, Rose. The groom can't see the bride before the wedding." Lissa said, aspirated.

"The bride doesn't care who sees her before the wedding." I mumbled.

"What was that Rosemarie?" My mother asked. I hadn't noticed she'd come in until she spoke.

"I just said I needed to sort some stuff out with Eddie."I said. Everyone in the room rolled their eyes at me.

"It starts at four. After that, we go to the reception and party it up." Mia finished for Lissa. I laughed, and we all headed out.

Chapter Eight

Six hours later we were almost finished. A call from Christian said that everyone was getting ready to go to the chapel. Lissa, Mia, and Viktoria were in their dresses, each cut to fit the wearer's personality. They were all a blue colour that I loved on all three of them.

"Okay, Rose. There's your make up, and your hair. It's time." Mia said, as Lissa produced a garment bag from the wardrobe. I dared a peek in the mirror.

My hair was pulled up into a loose bun, and silver bands held it in place. I smiled at their hard work, and stood up, ready to put my dress on

* * *

**I hope ya'll liked it. Remember, first review gets a sneak peek. Oh, and heads up. Next part is a DPoV. ;D xox**


	13. Dimitri's just a softie

**HEY, YA'LL!**

**It's been a while since I've updated. I've had a lot going on with Work and School... :/**  
**Anyways, I hope ya'll like this chapter. I got my Mum to help me with it a little, so yeah...**  
**Oooh, I just thought I'd let ya'll know that I've actually finished writing this Fic. It's taken me a while, but it's done. **  
**Can't wait for ya'll to read the end.**

**~Little-Dhampir x **

* * *

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

I was sitting on the Chapel steps. In less than two hours, the woman of my dreams will be mine forever.

"Are you okay, Belikov?" Adrian asked me, flopping down onto the step next to me.

"I'm fine. I just hope Rose's okay." I hadn't seen her since yesterday morning, when she'd told me her stomach was hurting. I loved that woman with my entire being. If anything happened to her...to either of them...It'd kill me.

"I just called them. The girls are all ready; they're just putting the finishing touches on Rose." Christian said, emerging from behind the building; cell phone in hand.

"Dimitri, can I talk to you for a sec?" Eddie asked, urging me to follow him into the chapel. I followed, leaving Adrian and Christian shooting confused looks at our backs.

"Mason was my best friend." Eddie finally said after a few minutes of choosing his words. I nodded, and he continued.

"Before he died, I made him a promise that I would protect Rose as long as I possibly can. I understand how much you love her, but I have to say this. I owe it to him. If you hurt her, no amount of magic or training will save you." Eddie said; a small smile on his lips. But I could tell he was serious. I could see it in his eyes. I was slightly surprised by the sudden harshness, but I knew where it had come from.

"Eddie, I swear to you. I would never, ever, hurt her." I swore to him. He slapped my arm and nodded.

"Good man." He said, before we walked back outside to join the others. It was half past three, and people had started to arrive. My family was one of the firsts to show up.

"Dimka...Oh my Dimka. I am so proud of you." My mother said, hugging me warmly.

"Thank you, _Materi. _Have you seen her?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I took the girls their flowers. Oh, Dimka, she looks so beautiful." She gushed, hugging me again. I smiled at her, and urged her to go in with the others.

"She always looks beautiful." I murmured to myself, as more people filed into the chapel. There were a few faces I was surprised to see, like Guardian Alto, Guardian Petrov, Sonya and Mikhail Tanner, Mr. Rinaldi.

"Mr. Belikov." Rose's father said to me, holding out a hand.

"Hello, Mr. Mazur." I said. God. This man terrified me. I knew where Rose got that from.

"Call me Abe, son." He said thumping me on the back in a friendly way. I smiled at him, and he left.

"Dimitri, there you are!" Janine called out. Rose's short mother walked up to me; a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Good Afternoon, Janine." I smiled, nodding at her. She caught me off guard by throwing her arms around me and hugging me warmly. She pulled away quickly, still smiling.

"Thank you, Dimitri. For not abandoning her. I'll be proud to call you my son-in-law! She loves you more than anyone in the world, you know. She needed someone like you to help her get her life together." She gushed happily, before she was urged inside by Abe. Abe himself walked to the curb, and waited. I checked the time, and smiled.

"It's time, Belikov. The girl's will be here any second. Get in there!" Adrian said, tugging my arm and leading me inside. We took up position in front of the Altar, Adrian directly behind me, followed by Eddie and Christian. The doors down the end were closed, but I heard a car door close, and took a deep breath. A Celtic version of Pachelbel Canon in D started to play, and Lissa strode down the aisle first, holding a white tulip with her bouquet; symbolising Mason. Then Mia came down in a dress similar to Lissa's, closely followed by Vikya. My sister looked beautiful, and I swelled with pride.

Once they were in position, everyone stood up, and the doors opened. Standing behind them, was my Roza. I felt a smile slowly creep across my mouth. She looked...Wow. I couldn't even think of a word to describe how beautiful she was. Her arm was linked with Abe's, and they slowly made their way down the Aisle. I broke my eyes from hers for a split second, and saw Lissa crying, a smile filling her features. I looked back to Rose, whose own eyes were filled with tears. Abe handed her off to me, and the minister began to speak. I didn't hear what he said; I was too dazzled by Rose, until it was my turn to speak.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, every minute we spend together, is a minute I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. From the first moment, I knew you were special. As time went on, I realized just how amazing you really were. When I finally realized it was more than that, and that you felt the same, I was the happiest man in the world. Nothing would make me any happier than to spend the rest of my life with you." I said to her, reciting my lines perfectly. By the time I'd finished, tears had leaked from her eyes and were trickling down her cheeks.

"Dimitri Belikov, I love you. We both love you. Nothing can ever change that. We've been to hell and back, and we made it out alive. Granted, people did get hurt along the way..." Her eyes flicked to Adrian. "But I'm going to do the very best I can to fix things, and we can have a long and happy life together." She finally got out, her voice choking up at some parts.

"If there are any objections, speak now, or forever hold your peace." The minister called to the crowd.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

The crowd stayed silent, and I smiled. Tears were blurring my vision, and I quickly blinked to clear them. The entire crowd seemed to hold their breath with me as I waited for the final and binding words.

"Then, under the eyes of God, I give you Mr. Dimitri, and Mrs. Rosemarie Belikov. You may now kiss the bride." The minister said. Dimitri cupped my face, and leaned in, softly pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was brief, but very sweet. He pulled away, love and adoration burning strongly in his eyes as our families rushed forward to hug and congratulate us. This is it, I thought to myself. He's yours forever.

The wedding flowed into the reception smoothly, thanks to Lissa's flawless planning. Everyone gathered in the stunning reception area, still elated from the ceremony. Dimitri never released my hand as we entered to a cheering crowd.

"Ladies and Gentleman...and Christian...I give you Mr and Mrs Belikov!" Adrian's voice boomed over the microphone. Everyone laughed, and Christian scowled, as we made our way to the dance floor, and everyone cleared, allowing us our first dance. The instrumental Piano cover of _Now and Forever_ started playing softly as Dimitri and I started to dance.

"_Roza?"_ Dimitri murmured into my ear as we danced closely, everyone watching on. Lissa and Christian had joined us close to the end of the song.

"Yes, Dimitri?" I asked, looking up into his eyes.

"I love you, Mrs. Belikov." He whispered to me. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his as the song ended. Everyone clapped, and I heard Eddie and Mia cheering.

"And now, the Groom has a surprise for his new bride." Adrian said, handing over the mic to Dimitri. I gave him a questioning look, but he smirked at me.

"Roza, I love you so much. Don't think for a second that I'm all godly, because I'm far from it Sweetheart." He said into the microphone. A guitar picked up, and I looked up and saw Christian playing an Acoustic guitar the colour of the sunset. My eyes snapped back to Dimitri, and then he started to sing.

_When I see your smile  
Tears roll down my face I can't replace  
And now that I'm stronger I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_And seasons are changing  
and waves are crashing  
and stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter  
I can show you I'll be the one_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_Cause you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart  
Please don't throw that away  
Cause I'm here for you  
Please don't walk away and  
Please tell me you'll stay  
Whoa-oh, stay, whoa, whoa_

_Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
and I know I'll be ok  
though my skies are turning gray,_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven..._

By the end, I was crying again. I had no idea Dimitri could sing. I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You're amazing." I whispered to him, hugging him tightly. He kissed my hair, laughing, as everyone applauded my husband's mad skills. Then I walked to Christian and hugged him too.

"You're really good, Chris." I told him. He smiled; a genuine smile without the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Thank you, Rose. Now go be with your man." He said, setting down the guitar and wrapping his arms around Lissa's waist. We were all slow dancing again, when my stomach jumped.

"What the heck?" I hissed, pulling back and rubbing my stomach. The strange jump came again, this time it filled my eyes with tears, and I smiled up at Dimitri.

"The baby kicked." I told him. He beamed, and rested his hand on my stomach. Right on cue, it kicked again. He regarded it with a kind of wonder, and kissed me gently.

A few hours later, we decided we'd need to leave if we were going to catch our plane. Dimitri wouldn't tell me where though. As we left, and were waving our goodbyes, Lissa stopped me and braided Mason's tulip into my hair. I hugged her tightly, and we climbed into the car. As we pulled away, I could have sworn I saw Mason behind everyone, watching on with a smile on his face.


	14. Aleksandra

**Hey Ya'll.**

**So, Rose and Dimitri are married. Life is perfect for them...Or so it seems.**

**This chapter is only the Calm before the Storm. Enjoy all the fluffy cuteness while it lasts! :)**

**Hope Ya'll like it!**

**~LittleDhampir x**

**Disclaimer: **

**Lissa: Tayla doesn't own VA.**

**Me: Aww, I didn't need to ask this time. :)**

* * *

Chapter Nine

**One year later**

I woke up to a Russian god cradling a grumpy baby in my bed. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetie." Dimitri murmured, cradling our little girl in his arms. Aleksandra Sonya Belikov was the splitting image of Dimitri, but she had my dark hair and smile. She was beautiful.

"Is she okay?" I asked, sleepily. I'd hardly had any sleep since she was born, but she was worth it. I rolled over to look at him. He had a smile on his face, one that made my heart burst.

"She's fine, _Roza._ She's just got grumbles." He said, cooing to her. He still hadn't gotten over the smitten new father stage. He was right. Aleksandra was very grumpy today. She'd just started crying real tears, and _boy _did she cry. She took after her mommy so much.

"Pass her here." I said, sitting up and holding my arms out for her. Dimitri passed her to me without hesitation, and curled up next to me.

_Where the dreamy Volga flows  
There's a lonely Russian rose  
Gazing tenderly  
Down upon her knee  
Where a baby's brown eyes glisten  
Listen_

_Every night you'll hear her croon  
A Russian lullaby_

_Just a little plaintive tune  
When baby starts to cry_

_Rock-a-bye my baby  
Somewhere there may be_

_A land that's free for you and me  
And a Russian lullaby..._

I sang softly to her in English, while Dimitri sang along in Russian. She was asleep as soon as we stopped singing, and I got up and took her to the nursery.

"Do know when Lissa and Christian get here?" Dimitri asked as I slipped back into bed.

"I don't know. She'll probably call from the plane." I mumbled, laying my head against his chest and looking up at him. Moving to Russia was one of the best and hardest things either of us had done. We decided it was something we wanted to do, but we hated to leave everyone behind.

"Your mother's probably going to bring Abe too." Dimitri grimaced. I laughed softly at him.

"She hasn't met Aleksandra yet. Last time we were in Court, she was at the Academy." I told him, leaning up and kissing him gently.

"Come on, Mrs. Belikov. Mom will be here in two hours." Dimitri said. I smiled at his words. Our life was so different now that we were free.

"Okay, Mr. Belikov. One condition." I told him.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" He asked. I shot him a mischievous smile.

"Kiss me." I said. Without hesitation his lips were pressed against mine. My tongue gently traced his bottom lip.

"_Roza, _keep doing that, and we won't be leaving this bed anytime soon." He growled against my lips. I laughed, and pulled away.

"Wouldn't be such a bad thing." I teased as I walked to the closet to grab my jeans and a tank top. Dimitri pouted and tossed a pillow at me, hitting my butt. I gasped in mock-horror.

"Mr. Belikov! That isn't very mature behaviour!" I told him, pretending to scold him.

"What would my punishment be if I did it again?" He smirked, picking up another pillow. I opened my mouth to reply, as I heard Aleks wailing from the nursery.

"That." I grumbled.

"I'll get her." He said, getting up and opening the door. On the way out, I tossed a pillow at him. He turned and glared at me jokingly.

"Payback's a b*tch, Rose." He told me, walking out. I pulled on my white tank-top, and my jeans, and walked out to the nursery.

I loved Aleksandra's nursery. Olena and Lissa both designed it, and everything was white and purple. Her crib was huge, with small stuffed animals down one end, and a tiny pillow and blanket down the other. Dimitri was sitting on the rocking chair in the corner with her, murmuring to her softly in Russian. I recognized the words for 'love' and 'mother' as he was speaking. I smiled, and leaned against the doorframe. He hadn't noticed me yet. His attention was completely on the baby girl in his arms. The little girl that would grow up with a daddy who would gladly give her the world on a silver platter, and get her out of trouble when her mommy catches her doing something bad.

"You're going to absolutely spoil her when she's older." I said aloud. His head snapped up, and he beamed when he saw me.

"Me. Pfffsh. Nah." He said. As if it were rehearsed, Aleks started to giggle. Her laugh was contagious, and I couldn't help but smile with her.

"_Grooooo...Bah ba ba." _Aleksandra cooed, and her tiny hand came up and slapped Dimitri playfully on his cheek. He went to scold her, but her face lit up with a heart-stopping smile, and he stopped.

"She gets that from you. She'll probably be able to smooth talk her way out of anything." Dimitri scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, because that worked _so well_ for me back at the Academy." I teased, taking my baby girl and spinning her around in the air. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world, and I couldn't hold back the smile that it brought on.

"Aleksandra, say Daddy." I said, sitting her on my lap as I sat on the cushion on the floor next to Dimitri. She just sat there staring at me as if I had two heads. I didn't expect her to say it, though. She was only a few months old. She'd just started holding her own bottle, which I thought was the cutest thing in the world. Dimitri stood up, and walked into the study, and came back a few seconds later with his guitar.

"Look, Sasha. Daddy's going to play you a song." I cooed. She clapped her tiny hands and leant over to strum the strings playfully. Dimitri smiled at his little girl, and kissed my temple, before he began to play. It was a soft tune, with a beautiful harmony. He hummed along softly, until Aleksandra was asleep again.

"That was beautiful." I told him. Ever since we'd moved to Russia, he'd taken to learning Guitar, and was writing several songs himself. He had no patience with sheet music.

"I wrote it for both of you." He said, propping the guitar against the wall, and taking Aleks to place her gently in her crib. He stood there, staring down at her adoringly.

"You never thought we'd end up like this, did you comrade?" I asked, leaning against his arm and staring up at him. He chuckled, and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Truthfully, no. As much as I may have wished, I never dreamed I would end up married to the most beautiful Dhampir woman I'd ever met, and be the proud father of her child." He told me, resting his cheek against my forehead.

"I never even thought about settling down at all. I never wanted to get married or have kids. Until I met you." I explained, smiling up at him. He leant down and cupped my face in his hands, kissing me softly. His lips conveyed a thousand words, and were filled with all the love he felt for me. It felt like the kiss could go on forever...until a knock at the front door interrupted us.


	15. Is it the end?

**HEY YA'LL!**

**This took waaay too long to update, and I am SO sorry ya'll had to wait. I've just been SO busy at school with Exams, and I've got a Drama performance coming up next week. :S**

**Anywho, I thought I'd let ya'll know that Now and Forever officially has a Sequel!**

**I started writing it a few weeks ago, and it's going pretty well so far.**

**That's pretty much it. Hope ya'll enjoyed the Fluffiness while it lasted. Now we're getting into the big drama. :)**

**~Little-Dhampir xox**

**Tasha: Tayla doesn't own Vampire Academy.**

**Me: WHAT THE HELL! How did you get in this Fic? GTFO Natasha!**** (**My mate asked me to put that in. :P**)**

* * *

_Previously:_

_"I never even thought about settling down at all. I never wanted to get married or have kids. Until I met you." I explained, smiling up at him. He leant down and cupped my face in his hands, kissing me softly. His lips conveyed a thousand words, and were filled with all the love he felt for me. It felt like the kiss could go on forever...until a knock at the front door interrupted us._

"Frickin hell..." I mumbled, turning away from him and walking to the parlour to open the front door.

"Babushka!" I exclaimed, hugging the elderly woman and letting her in. Yeva was Dimitri's grandmother, and insisted I call her Babushka when we got married.

"Roza, my dear. We have much to discuss. There are a great many things going on. Terrible things. I see them all happening. We are powerless to stop them. Blood will be spilt. The empty ones are coming!" She cried, her entire body shaking. This couldn't be good.

"Dimitri, get in here now!" I shouted as quietly as I could, trying not to wake Aleks.

"What's wrong?" He asked, taking in what he saw. Yeva sitting on the couch, her entire frame shaking. Me pacing nervously. And, much to my distaste, a crying Aleksandra in the nursery.

"Babushka, will you tell him what you told me? I have to go make sure Aleks is okay." I said, running to the nursery.

"_Tishe, moĭ milyĭ."_ I murmured to her in Russian. Just as I spoke, a hand clapped down on my mouth from behind. A hand with skin so icy cold, it haunted me in my nightmares.

"Well, well...You've been practicing Rosemarie." Natasha's cold voice said, tauntingly. I slowly put Aleksandra in her bed, still crying, and backed away.

"Smart girl. Now, you're going to do exactly what I say. Go out to Dimitri, and tell him you don't love him anymore. Then walk out the front door, and don't come back. If you don't do what I've told you, I'll split your little girl here in half. You got that?" Tears rushed to my eyes as I nodded. I was terrified. She moved her hand, and I slowly walked back to the sitting room.

"Rose? Aleksandra's still crying. Is she okay?" Dimitri asked me, his voice concerned.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

"I can't do this." She whispered. My face fell, and I felt my heart stop.

"What?" I asked; my voice filled with disbelief. She can't do this. This couldn't be happening.

"I can't do this anymore, _Dimka._ It's too much. I don't love you. I'm sorry, _Dimka." _She murmured, meeting my eyes. A thousand words were conveyed between us in that split second, and I understood everything.

"Rose. Please! You can't do this to me. _What about Aleksandra?"_ I asked; my voice filled with faked pain.

"_She'll be fine if I leave._ You need to move on. We're seven years apart. It's...wrong." She said her voice stronger. I must admit, my _Roza_ was a good actress.

"Move on? With whom? _Tasha?"_ I shouted, hoping she got the message.

"_Yes._ She can make you happy. I'm sorry." She whispered, kissing my cheek softly before leaving and closing the front door behind her. I heard the car start out the front, and pull away.

"Dimka. It's started. You must protect them." Babushka said; her eyes filled with fear. I nodded, and went to the kitchen. I searched for my stake, and quickly found it. Even though she hadn't left for real, it still broke my heart. I stuffed the stake into my jacket, and walked back into the other room. Babushka was gone, and Aleksandra had gone quiet. I walked casually into the nursery, sensing she was right behind me.

"Where is she, Natasha?" I growled, seeing Aleks wasn't in her crib.

"She's gone. Along with your disgrace of a wife. I am all you have left, Dimka." Tasha purred; her voice as sharp as the point of my stake. I turned and faced her, slightly taken aback by her eyes.

"You're right Tasha. I've always only loved you." I whispered, pulling her to me and kissing her.

Chapter Ten

**-Rose's Point of View-**

"_Yes._ She can make you happy. I'm sorry." I whispered, kissing his cheek softly before leaving and closing the front door behind me. Oh, god I hope he understood. I climbed in the car, and pulled away, parking it up the street. I watched as Yeva scurried out of the house, holding Aleksandra in her arms. I jumped from the car and ran towards her, meeting her half way.

"Babushka, I didn't mean any of it! I swear!" I cried, pulling my little girl into my arms and hugging her tightly.

"I know, as does Dimka. The evil has started. Dimka must play his part well, or we'll all die." She said, before heading off and walking towards the Belikov house. I walked back to the car, and climbed in, placing my baby girl in her seat. Driving off, tears spilled down my cheeks readily, as I drove toward the airport to meet Lissa. She would have to take Aleksandra. It wasn't safe in Baia anymore.

When I saw them, I launched myself at Lissa, bawling my eyes out. Christian stepped back, and my mother gasped as she saw I was crying.

"Oh my gosh, Rose! What is it?" Lissa cried, hugging my comfortingly.

"It's Tasha. She's got Dimitri. She was going to kill Aleks. I had to leave. Now Dimitri's alone with her!" I sobbed. Lissa pulled away, and I tried to compose myself. We all climbed into my car silently, Aleks asleep, and drove to the nearest and cheapest hotel.

"Rose, tell us everything. From the beginning." My mother said; her voice serious. I did, not leaving out anything. The entire time I hugged my baby to my chest while she slept. I couldn't bear to put her down. She was the little piece of Dimitri I had left.

"Rose...I'm so sorry." Christian spoke up, finally. I looked up at him through my tears.

"No, Christian. You don't have to be sorry. She's the one who will be sorry. If she lays a _FINGER _on him, will personally _rip her apart._" I growled violently. Lissa came and wrapped her arm around me.

"We will help him, Rose. I promise you." My mother said.

"You need to take her. Take her far from here. The royal court. Further if you can. She can't be a part of this." I said, passing Aleksandra to Lissa. She took her gently, cradling her head.

"I understand." She said, staring down at the little girl. "She's beautiful, Rose."

"I know. She looks like her father." I said, smiling weakly though my eyes were filled with tears. I looked down at my little girl for a second longer, before standing up.

"You need to go now. Take her. Get out of here." I said, running from the room so that the others couldn't see the tears that slid down my face.

"How could I let this happen?" I asked myself out loud, stopping the car and getting out. I was in the middle of a wooded area, and I wouldn't be found here. I curled against the base of a tree, and pulled out my phone. Flipping it open, I stared longingly at the screensaver. It was a picture Dimitri had taken of the three of us a few days after Aleksandra was born. I sighed and dialled my home number, fighting away tears.

"Hello?" Dimitri's voice answered; sounding very tired.

"I love you, Dimitri. So much. Lissa and the others have taken Aleks back to the court." I said, knowing I'd only have a few minutes to talk to him.

"I understand. Same to you, mom. I have to go now." He said, before the phone clicked off. Tears filled my eyes. Tasha must have been watching him. I dialled another number, a number I knew very well, and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Adrian. I need to tell you something. But you cannot tell anybody."

"You can tell me anything, Rose." He said. I sighed, and spilled my heart to him.

* * *

**BY THE WAY:**

**I hope ya'll LOOOOVE Adrian, because the Sequel is based around him! :)**

**(Don't worry, Rose and Dimitri still have a big part in it too.)**

**Lots of Love~! xx**


	16. Rest in Peace?

**Hey ya'll.**

**So, when I was writing this part, it took a lot of hard decisions. Please keep an open mind, and be patient.**

**Things are never as they seem. ;)**

**That being said, I hope you Enjoy this chapter. **

**~Little-Dhampir xox**

**Disclaimer:**

**No, I do not, nor will I ever, own Vampire Academy, or any characters associated with the series.**

* * *

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

I heard the phone ring, and jumped.

"You have thirty seconds. Get rid of them, Dimka." Tasha growled at me. I stood up from the couch and answered the phone.

"Hello?" I answered.

"I love you, Dimitri. So much. Lissa and the others have taken Aleks back to the court." My heart broke as I heard Rose's trembling voice on the other end of the phone. I wanted so badly to tell her how much I loved her. How everything would be okay. But I couldn't. Not with Tasha standing in the next room, listening to everything.

"I understand. Same to you, mom. I have to go now." I said as indifferently as I could manage. My eyes stung as I placed the phone back onto the holder, and took a deep breath.

"Dimka, what's this?" Tasha asked, pointing to the stake sitting on the counter.

"Rose's. She must have left it here." I said, picking it up and tossing it into a drawer.

"Hmmm." She said, running her hand down my chest. "You're a terrible liar." She whispered in my ear, before grabbing me and sinking her fangs into my neck.

**-Viktoria's Point of View-**

I woke up to a strange shuffling sound in the back yard around eleven. I jumped out of bed, and walked to the back door. Pressing my ear to it, I held my breath and listened. For a few moments, there was nothing. Then, there was a thud. I ripped the door open, and almost screamed at what I saw.

Rose was lying on the back step, face down. I could see the feint movements in her chest that showed she was breathing. I rolled her over, and saw her face was bone white, and she had black circles under her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, Rose!" I squeaked, rushing inside and up the stairs to mama's room.

"Mama, get up! Quickly! It's Rose!" I shouted, flicking on her light and pulling off her blanket. She jumped from her bed, and the pair of us rushed down the stairs and outside.

"Oh, dear. Viktoria, go grab a blanket, and wake Karolina. Tell her to call Dimka." She said quickly.

"No! Don't call Dimka. He mustn't know, child. We will care for her." Babushka said, appearing behind mama. We looked at her for a second, before nodding. I grabbed a thick blanket from the linen closet, and we wrapped Rose up in them and brought her into the living room. Mama laid her down on the couch, and rushed to get some warm water and a cloth. I looked down at her, before something caught my eye. I froze, and I felt bile rise up my throat as I forced myself to look away.

"Mama." I called. She rushed back in, and I pointed to what I saw. She had much the same reaction as me. Her hand was coated in thick, dark blood. I reached forward and pulled down her sleeve to reveal several deep gashes running up and down her arm. I looked at the other arm, to find it worse.

"Oh, Rose. What happened to you?" I murmured, as Mama wrapped a bandage thickly around each of her arms.

"Vikya, you have to go into town for me. I need more supplies. Can you get them for me?" Mama asked. I nodded, and pulled a coat on. With one last sad look at Rose, I ran out the door.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

Tasha decided to drag me out of the house with her. She needed to go hunting, and wouldn't leave me alone. Gosh, I missed my Rose so much.

"I need bandages. Lots of them. We've had an accident." I heard a small voice say. I turned around to see Vikya talking to Mom's supplier. Tasha had gone off to look for someone to drink, so I took my chance.

"Vikya, what happened?" I asked quietly. She spun around, startled.

"Babushka told me not to tell you, but I think you need to know. Rose showed up at our house half an hour ago. She's tried to kill herself." She murmured quietly, turning back around so it wouldn't look suspicious. My heart stopped. My Roza had tried to kill herself. This needed to end. Now.

"Vikya, do you have your stake?" I asked. She nodded, and handed me the little silver object, before thanking the supplier, and running home.

"Tasha!" I called, knowing she'd hear me. I was right. She came up behind me, and startled me, causing me to fall forward. Blood loss didn't look good for me. I absently wondered how Rose made it so long.

"Yes, Dimka my love?" She asked, laughing. It was a cruel laugh. I stood up.

"I want to apologize." I said quietly.

"What for?" She asked. I took a deep breath, and looked up at her seriously.

"For ever thinking that Rose and I could get through this alive." I hissed, my arm snaking forward. The stake plunged through her chest, and then...it was over. It was all over. I grabbed the stake, and started running as fast as I could to my mother's house, unsure of what I'd find. Babushka met me out the front.

"You have to stay out here." She said to me, seriously. I gaped at her, and started to protest.

"Dimka, you have done well. But you need to let your mother help her." She added. I sighed, and sat on the front step. Pulling my phone out, I dialled Lissa's number. Nothing. Reluctantly, I dialled Adrian's.

"Yes?" He answered, not bothering with greeting. He knew who it was.

"Give me Lissa. Now!" I hissed. He sighed and handed over the phone.

"Hello?" She asked warily.

"It's Rose. She's tried to kill herself." I breathed, tears stinging my eyes.

"Oh my gosh...No..." She whispered in disbelief, followed by a few quiet sobs.

"I know, Lissa. I had to call. I needed to tell you. But I've got to go." I said. She said something that vaguely sounded like goodbye, marred by tears, and the phone disconnected. I looked up to see Viktoria standing on the porch, looking down at me sadly.

"Vikya..." I whispered, my voice pleading.

"She's gone, Dimitri." She whispered. I watched tears cascade down her face, and she jumped down the stairs to hug me tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Dimka. I'm so, so, so sorry." She cried over and again. My mind was switched off. It refused to believe that she was gone. The girl I had loved for so long. My wife.

She was dead

"Dimka..." I heard mom call, beckoning me inside. I released my sobbing sister, though she clung tightly to my arm, and walked inside. The second I saw her, it sank in. I felt my heart explode into dust, and tears spilled down my face.

"She left this." Babushka said, holding out a small sheet of paper. It had drops of blood splattered across the bottom, and was scrunched, as if she'd folded it in haste. I shoved it in my pocket and knelt on the ground next to her, letting my tears stain the jacket she wore.

"It was meant to be this way, Dimka." Babushka murmured to me, and then ushered the others out of the room to give me my final goodbye. Once they'd left, I opened the letter.

_To my dearest DIMITRI,_  
_if you're reading this, then I'M gone. I couldn't handle NOT living with you, and seeing Tasha get what she wanted made me wish I was DEAD. Yes, I may have acted irrationally, but please don't think badly of me. I know you'll be able to take good care of ALEKSANDRA. You were and always will be the best father in the world. I just hope she KNOWS how much I love her._  
_I'M sorry I had to leave you. Please remember that I loved you STILL right up until the very end. I'll miss you always. I'll miss curling up beside you every night, knowing you'd still be HERE when I woke up in the morning. Know that I'M watching over you from where ever the dead go after they die._  
_Being on earth, without you, was like being TRAPPED in my own nightmare. I couldn't do it anymore without you HELPing me through life every step of the way. You were the best MEntor a girl could have asked for, and the best husband. You'll always be my Russian god. I love you, Dimitri._  
_Always true,_  
_Roza_

As I finished reading, I folded it back up gently and put it back in my pocket, tears cascading down my face. I kissed her forehead, and sat there, holding her hand.


	17. Send Karolina

**HEY GUYS!**

**I'm trying to upload a lot faster now, because y'all are getting very close to the end.**

**BY THE WAY:**

**To everyone who thinks this is a load of cr*p and not worth reading because of the events of the previous chapter, don't go ranting in the reviews. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please no further than that.**

**Anywho, enough with the rant. For those that enjoy this story, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! :)**

**~Little-Dhampir xox**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, or any characters associated with the series.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_As I finished reading, I folded it back up gently and put it back in my pocket, tears cascading down my face. I kissed her forehead, and sat there, holding her hand._

**-Rose's Point of View-**

I sat across from him and hung my head. I had never meant for this to happen.

"Rose?" A voice called to me. My head snapped up, and I saw Mason standing across the room from me.

"Mase..." I said thickly. I jumped up and ran over to him, hugging him tightly.

"Rose? Oh, god. What happened?" He asked, desperate. Mason had died so I could live. So I could live until I was old and die in battle.

"I...I was tricked. A spirit user begged me to give him some blood. That he hadn't fed in ages. I cut my arm, and he took it. Then...nothing. I can't remember. All I know is I'm stuck here. I know I'm not dead, but I'm not alive." I said sadly, breaking away from Mason and walking over to Dimitri. His eyes were locked on my face, filled with tears. I leant down to touch his face, and pulled back quickly when I realized I could touch him. I expected my hand to go straight through him. His head snapped up, looking around for something he knew he couldn't see.

"Dimitri..." I whispered. His eyes flicked up to me, and widened in surprise.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

"Dimitri..." A voice whispered softly. I looked up, and saw her. My Rose. It was impossible. She was dead. Just as suddenly as she was there, she was gone.

My mind wouldn't let me believe it. It was true. Rose was dead. My life. My entire soul. She was really and truly dead. I broke down again.

"Dimka...We need to move her. She can't be found here. They'll think we killed her." Babushka said, taking Rose's hand from mine.

"NO!" I roared; grabbing the air as Karolina and Mama held me back. I fought, but gave up as Babushka carried her outside. Pushing away from my mother and sister, I stormed up the stairs and –rather childishly if I might add- burst into my room, slamming the door behind me.

"Oh, _Roza. _Why did you have to leave me?" I whispered to the nothingness, pulling out the note she left me and reading it again.

"Wait..." I said, looking closer. The mistakes in the grammar weren't mistakes. They were a message. I ran back down the stairs and outside.

"DON'T BURY HER!" I shouted, grabbing the shovel from my sister and tossing it away.

"Dimitri, what on earth?" Babushka started to ask, but I shut her up by shoving the paper in her hands.

"Dimitri, I'm not dead. Aleksandra knows I'm still here. I'm trapped. Help me. Oh my. This isn't good. Someone is trying to change what will be." She whispered, reading through the note carefully and then handing it back. She bustled back inside, dragging Vikya and Mama with her.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, desperately.

"By the looks of things, we need to bring Aleksandra back." Sonya whispered.

"Uh uh. No. She's not coming anywhere near Russia until this is all gone." I snapped.

"Well...Then we'll go to her." She said.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

"What? No, no, no. They need to stay here." I said, watching as they carried my body back inside. It was so surreal, watching the dead me when I was right here.

"Do you want to be trapped here forever, Rose? You left the note. They have to do the rest." Mason said, putting a hand on my arm reassuringly.

"They can't leave Russia. The spirit user might follow them to Aleksandra. She needs to stay safe, and completely away from all of this." I said. Mason needed to grab my arm to stop me from running up to Dimitri.

"Rose, no. The more you communicate with the living, the harder it will be for you to get back." He whispered. I sank to the ground in defeat. Then...I had a thought. I scratched a message into the dirt, and willed him to see it. Sure enough, he looked over. He read the message aloud.

"Don't leave, Dimitri. Danger. Send Karolina."

Chapter Eleven

"Me? Why me?" Karolina demanded to the sky, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Rose...We need your help. Please." Dimitri murmured. I sighed, and turned to Mason.

"I need to protect them...Even if it kills me." I told him. He just stared at me for a moment, before nodding and disappearing into mist.

"Dimitri..." I whispered. They all heard it, but Dimitri was the only one who saw me.

"Rose!" He cried, tears filling his eyes again. I stepped back quickly, out of his grasp.

"Dimitri, no! I can't touch the living. Every time I do, it's harder and harder for me to return. Now listen to me. There is a man. He did this to me. You can't let him follow you. He knows your face, and soon he'll learn your name. We've got about three days. Karolina needs to get herself to Aleksandra." I whispered. He nodded, and looked at me sadly.

"Why did he do this to you, Rose?" Karolina suddenly asked. She was looking in my general direction, but she couldn't see me.

"He needed my blood. The blood of a Shadow Kissed Dhampir. It creates a Strigoi that can still use the elements of magic. In his case...Spirit." I told her. I felt a prickling feeling behind me, and turned to see Mason.

"Rose...You'll need to travel with Karolina. I'll stay here with the Belikova's. But you need to leave. Now. Roderik has your files. It won't be long." He said; his voice strained. I saw an odd sadness in his eyes that I'd never seen before.

"Now, Karolina. Go pack. I'll leave a sign when it's time to leave." I said at last, before pulling myself from the earth.

"Mason, what's wrong?" I whispered, knowing very well that he'd downplay it. Even dead, he was an a**. He hesitated for a second, before his face fell.

"You can't go back, Rose."


	18. Rose Hathaway loses it

**Hey Guys**

**Not much to update ya'll on. Only One or Two more chapters until the end. Get excited! :D**

**I'm actually sad to see this story end. I've spent months on it. But I still have the sequel, so it's all good. :)**

**Anywhoo, Enjoy! **

**~Little-Dhampir xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Vampire Academy or any characters associated with the copyrighted series.**

* * *

"Mason, what's wrong?" I whispered, knowing very well that he'd downplay it. Even dead, he was an a**. He hesitated for a second, before his face fell.

"You can't go back, Rose."

"What?" I very nearly shouted at him. He flinched, obviously afraid that I'd hit him.

"Rose...Look at your hands." He said. I did as I was told, and burst into tears. My hands were slightly transparent, with a strange glow about them that I'd seen on Mason when he was stuck on earth. I sobbed loudly, and collapsed to my knees.

"I'm a wife. I have a daughter, Mason. I can't die. You can't let me. You promised!" I cried, unable to see through the torrents of tears gushing down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Rose. There isn't anything I can do. You just have to help them out as best as you can. You only have about thirty days." Mason said sadly, unmoving. His words brought on more violent sobs and plenty of cursing.

"Rose, when are we leaving?" Karolina called. I sighed.

"Well...If I'm going to die, there's no point staying invisible then, is there?" I said to nobody in particular. I pulled myself through the veil, and took a deep breath.

"We leave now." I said. Karolina nodded, and ran to grab her things.

"What're you doing, Rose?" Dimitri asked sadly. I considered telling him the truth, but decided against it.

"My best, Comrade. As always." I said.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

Karolina left, hoping Rose was following her, leaving me alone with Vikya. Mama, Babushka, and Sonya went out to get more supplies and work out our next plan.

"Dimitri?" Viktoria whispered through my door.

"Come in." I called, not moving from my bed.

"Dimitri, Rose can't come back." She said quietly. I shot her an unfriendly glare without meaning to.

"Vikya, we're trying to bring her back." I said, sitting up sharply.

"Dimitri, I could see her. The whole time. Babushka didn't want me to tell anyone about it, but...I can see the dead. While they're still in transition. She was arguing with a boy. He had red hair. He told her it was too late." She said. I'm not sure what the bigger slap in the face was. Whether it was the fact my sister had powers, Mason was taking care of Rose instead of me, or that my Rose wasn't coming home. It didn't matter to me. All three hurt.

"Don't tell the others." I said thickly, tears threatening to overflow.

"I won't. I wanted to tell you before I left. I'm going back to school in the morning. Goodnight, Dimitri. I love you, my brother." She said softly, kissing me on the cheek before leaving the room; closing the door softly behind her. I didn't want to think anymore. So I did what every man does when he wants to forget his sorrows for a few hours.

I poured myself a glass of Vodka.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

I couldn't leave. My body refused to leave the house. I'd stopped talking to Mason an hour ago, but he still hung around, watching me with that same expressionless look.

"Screew the academeee. They don't neeeed meeeeeeeee." I heard Dimitri's slurred voice shout, and instantly panicked. Where the HELL was he? I bounded up the stairs and found him sitting on the floor behind his bed, a bottle of Russian Vodka in his hand.

"This picture is wrong in SO many freaking ways." I said, unable to process what I was seeing. Dimitri didn't even drink at our wedding. He had a glass of lemonade for Pete's sake! But here he was, drunk off his very sexy Russian face.

"WHAT are you doing?" I shouted at him, just barely holding back laughter at his face.

"Rooozaaa! Why didn't you go with Karoo...something or rather? Have you been naugghttyy?" He asked, causing a fit of laughter. I bravely held in my hysteria like a man, and continued to be 'angry'.

"Dimitri Belikov. You have a daughter on her way here, your wife floating in space in front of you, and a bottle of Vodka in your hand. So I'm going to ask you one more time. What. Are. You. Doing." I snapped.

"B-But Rozaa. I *hic* didn't mean to make you mad." He said, tossing the empty bottle at the wall.

"I know, baby." I said, sitting across from him and holding his hand.

"I miss you, Rosie. Lots and lots. I wish Tasha was dead...No wait, DOUBLE dead. She's a poopie face." He grumbled. That did it. Ladies and Gentleman, Rose Belikov lost her sh*t. I doubled over in hysteria, attempting in vain to stifle my laughter on Dimitri's knee.

"Dimitri *laugh* you're so *laugh* funny when you're *laugh* drunk." I managed to force out. He smiled at me, and stroked the hair out of my face, effectively stopping the laughter in its tracks.

"Rose, are you going to die?" He asked me. I considered lying again, but didn't.

"Yes, Dimitri. I'm going to die. There's nothing I can do." I sighed, placing my hand over his.

"I love you, Rose. I don't want you to die. You're my bestest friend." He said, his eyes slowly closing. He must've been exhausted. He hadn't slept in two days. I helped him stand up and crawl onto his bed.

"Go to sleep, love. I'll be around when you wake up." I told him, kissing his forehead as he fell asleep. I curled up next to him, wishing I had just a little more time. I never wanted to leave him. I needed to tell him...I had to.

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**OOOH! What's Rose hiding?  
All will be revealed in the next chapter. :D **

**_(Drunk Dimitri was mostly written for my best friend. She begged me to put a little comic relief in the story, and well... Dimitri decided to get drunk instead! :D)_**


	19. Christian!

**LAST CHAPTER, GUIZE!**

**I'm actually really keen for ya'll to read this. Everything is all revealed.**

**I'm not going to blabber on any longer. I hope ya'll enjoy! :)**

**~Little-Dhampir xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or any characters associated with the copyrighted series.**

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**-Lissa's Point of View-**

Karolina burst into our hotel an hour ago, telling me that she needed to take Aleksandra. I hope Dimitri is coping. Hell...His wife died. He had every right to not cope. Oh, god...I'm turning into a masochist...

"I'm sorry." Adrian had told me again and again.

"It doesn't make it hurt any less, Adrian. Rose is dead." I mumbled, a fresh lot of tears rolling down my cheeks.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

A month passed as if it was a week, and we were no closer to working out what we should do. I collapsed on the bed, turning on the baby monitor and closing my eyes.

"Ma...ma..." A tiny voice squeaked. I shot up, and looked at the baby monitor. Sure enough, two of the lights were lit up. I went into the nursery, and saw a two month old version of Rose, gurgling and giggling inside the crib.

"Hey, baby girl." I said, picking her up and cradling her in my arms.

"Ma ma." She giggled again, and I had no doubt in my mind that Rose was hovering behind me, looking down on our daughter; her endless brown eyes lit up like the sun.

"I love you, Rose." I whispered, before rocking Aleksandra back to sleep and leaving the room.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

Twenty-nine days had been and gone. It was my last day. It had to be today. I didn't have another chance to tell Dimitri.

I walked into the bedroom, and took a deep breath. He wasn't there. I searched the house until I found him in the nursery, holding Aleksandra. This was going to drain me. He probably didn't realize I was still around. I didn't have the strength to materialize, and he hadn't spoken to me in a while.

"Mama." Aleks giggled, and tears sprang to my eyes. I couldn't do this.

"I love you, Rose." Dimitri whispered, and put Aleks back to sleep. He walked out of the room, and I felt my chest tighten. I didn't have long. I ran after him.

"Dimitri." I called. He spun around, bewildered.

"Rose?" He beamed, a smile creeping over his beautiful face. I had a few seconds. The tightening in my chest was unbelievable.

"I'm pregnant." I whispered, before an intense cold shot through my chest, and the world disappeared.

**-Adrian's Point of View-**

Rose's funeral was a miserable day. During the ceremony, nobody spoke. There were no speeches. Nobody had anything that they could say to comfort us. Rose. _The _Rose. She was gone. Everybody knew she wanted to die in battle, protecting those she loved. But Rose died alone. She died for a meaningless purpose.

The ceremony itself was beautiful. It was held at the Academy, Ironically enough. She started out her life there, and it was put to a final rest there. It seemed...right. A mahogany coffin, her name engraved across the side, sat at the front of the chapel. Roses covered the coffin. White and blood red.

The entire school forced themselves into the small pews. Not one of them wanted to miss saying goodbye. Many stood. Some even sat on the floor in true Rose fashion. Most of the court was there too. The first two pews were filled with those who loved Rose the most, and Dimitri and his little girl sat up next to the coffin.

Every single face in the room matched. They were filled with sadness, and grief, and sorrow. Most were crying. When the ceremony ended, nobody moved. So I decided I would be the one to send her off. I stood up, and walked slowly to the front. Dimitri nodded his approval, so I turned to the crowd and spoke.

Chapter Twelve

"Rose was...god. I can't even explain her. She was strong, and brave, and beautiful. She was a brilliant friend, a faithful wife, and an extraordinary mother. She was my Best Friend. Her, and Lissa, were everything I had. When we found out that Rose...died...A part of me died. A big part. And I'm sorry she had to go the way she did." I said; my voice, though shaking, rang clear to the people mourning the loss of a friend. I decided to wrap it up. Janine and Abe were smiling through their tears weakly at me, so I knew I'd said the right thing. Slowly, I said my final goodbye.

"Rose is in red. Never in blue. Sharp as a thorn..."

"Fights like one too." The entire crowd finished with me. With those words, The silly nonsense rhyme I'd thought up years ago, the crowd had the tiniest spark of life again. They were remembering her as she was. A fighter. Slowly people dispersed, leaving the two front pews. Lissa stood up and hugged me tightly.

"It was beautiful, Adrian." She said, sniffling. I smiled, and nodded. She turned to Christian, and sobbed into his shirt.

"Come on, Liss. We'll go talk." Christian whispered to her. She nodded, and he led her from the room. Abe, Janine, Eddie, Mia, Jill, and Dimitri's family went to go sit in the guest housings and talk. That just left me and Dimitri.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" I asked him, sitting on the step next to him.

"Right now...I'm just trying so hard not to die." He said softly, stroking his daughter's cheek softly.

"She wouldn't want that, Dimitri. She would want you to keep going. For Aleks." I told him. He looked up for the first time, and my heart broke. He was broken in every way possible. His sister, his wife, and his unborn child. He only had her to live for.

"It's hard knowing that in fifteen years, people would say they were sorry her Mom died, and she would tell them that it was _'okay'_. That she _'doesn't remember her.'_" He said in the same miserable tone. I needed to do something for him. I had to help him in some way.

"Listen. We're going to find this Strigoi. And we're going to make him wish he'd never heard of Rose. Then we're going to kill him." I said, almost too angrily.

"No need. He turned up dead two days ago. Couldn't handle spirit anymore, so he walked into the sun." He murmured. I almost smiled.

"Good." I said.

**-Mia's Point of View-**

Four years passed by slowly. Nobody really moved on from Rose's death. She was even a part of the Guardian's history course. Trainers started using Dimitri's methods in sparring. All was right in the world. Except one thing. Rose was dead. This was the future she would have created herself, and lived to see it happen. She should have seen it happen.

Dimitri personally hunted down each and every Strigoi, Human, and Moroi that ever spoke to Rose's killer, and ended them. Killing them was too nice a word. Josef, the Strigoi that killed Rose, got off easy.

My name is Mia Rinaldi, and I am going to tell you the story of how the world was put right again.

It all started yesterday night, when Vasilisa Dragomir, the queen of all Moroi, was walking home.

Chapter Thirteen

**-Lissa's Point of View-**

It was too dark. I knew I should have left Adrian's earlier. I wrapped my woollen coat around me tighter, and picked up the pace. Nowhere felt safe anymore. Not since Rose died. Suddenly, and hand clamped over my mouth. I tried desperately to scream, but nothing would sound.

"You shouldn't be out this late, my love. There are bad people lurking around the court." Christian's voice hissed. It sounded like Christian, but it wasn't. It was a monster.

"Queen Vasilisa? You may want to have my darling Dimitri check the wards. I think they're broken." Tasha whispered, stepping into my line of view.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

Four years pass quickly when you're dead. It was, well...boring. Mason had moved on to another place. He said I couldn't go with him. I wasn't ready. If it wasn't for my boy, I'd have gone crazy long ago.

"Aidan Lee Belikov, what have I told you about drawing on the walls?" I sighed for the fifth time today.

"I sowwy mommy. I fix it." He said, dropping his chalk and running to get a towel. I flopped down on my couch, and switched on the T.V. Nope. Static, again. Seriously, being dead sucked. There was no interne, no Wi-Fi, and no T.V.

"All better!" Aidan squealed, beaming at me. God, I missed his daddy. And my baby girl.

"Good boy. Do you want to eat?" I asked him, sitting up. One of the bonuses of being trapped in this house was if we wanted something, it was in the fridge. It was kind of cool, actually.

"No ank you, mommy." He said, absently staring at the wall. He'd done that so many times, it wasn't really weird anymore.

"Baby, what are you doing?" I asked, getting off the couch and picking him up.

"I ant to wach eevee, mommy." I smiled weakly at him, and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Picking up the remote, I let him hit the on button.

"See, baby. It's the static show again." I sighed, kissing his cheek softly and setting him down.

"Mommy, ook! She pwetty!" He squealed, running over to rest his little hands on the screen. I very nearly passed out. It was Lissa on the T.V. She was tied to a chair, gagged. Tasha was standing behind her, holding her head back sharply by the hair, and Christian was leaning over her, his mouth clamped on her neck.

"Oh, sh*t!" I squealed, switching the T.V. off, and scooping up Aidan. The phone rang; another thing that never happened. I walked into the kitchen, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked, feeling quite stupid.

"Hello Rose. How's being dead?" Tasha's taunting voice asked.

"Peachy. The reception sucks. Keeps picking up these movies about this psychopathic wh*re. How's being a leech going for ya'?" I snapped.

"Really? Sounds like fun. Anyway, I'm just calling to let you know that we're going to kill Lissa." She said, before the line dropped out.

Oh. Hell. No.

**-Dimitri's Point of View-**

"What. The. Hell?" I said slowly.

"Yep. Christian's a Strigoi. Oh, and Tasha. Not dead. I'm so flipping over this place. Seriously. It's all _blerg_." Louise said; using exaggerated arm movements to prove her point.

"Babe, it's what we live for. Life'd be boring without it, right?" Adrian asked me pointedly. I sighed. Adrian had met Louise at some royal party or something. I knew it wasn't going to last, though. She was Moroi. Not his type.

"I just don't get _why_ you have to live like this! Poor Dimitri always cops the short straw, and I don't see how it's fair. I mean, he's got a kid!" She babbled again.

"HEY! Shut the hell up for five minutes you freaking idiot. Tasha is alive. Christian is Strigoi. And Lissa is missing. Put two and two together you moron! Jesus Christ, Why do I keep letting her in my house?" Mia snapped, storming out. Well...I am so far beyond glad that Rose wasn't that bad when she was pregnant.

"I'm gonna...Uhh..." Eddie said awkwardly, following Mia from the room.

"She's a b*tch." Louise mumbled, before getting up and walking out the front door. I raised an eyebrow at Adrian, and he just shook his head.

"Don't even ask, man. So I'm thinkin' we should find Lissa." He said.

**-Rose's Point of View-**

The world faded around me, and I fell back to earth. When I realized what had happened, I was looking on at a fight. I rushed outside the crowded room and sat Aidan on a small seat.

"Do not move, Aidan. I mean it. You stay _right there._" I said. He nodded weakly, and lied down on his side for a nap. Bless him.

I ran back inside, and watched as Dimitri, quite gracefully, staked Tasha. She fell to the ground in a heap. He bent over her and stabbed her again, and again. Making sure she was dead, I presumed.

"STOP!" Christian bellowed. Dimitri froze. Christian had Lissa in a headlock, and was glaring at Dimitri.

"If Rose were here..." Dimitri growled.

"Well, she's not, is she? Hate to break it to ya', Dimka. But Rose died a long time ago. She can't help you now." He hissed, smug.

"Funny thing is...I'm right here you bloodsucking sh*thead!" I growled, making myself visible to only him. Dimitri probably couldn't hear me either.

"Rose, you're just in time for the show!" He called, almost merrily. Before I could take a breath, or scream, he twisted Lissa's head, and threw her to the ground. Anger slowly started to build in me as I stood there, staring numbly.

"You made one mistake, Christian." I whispered.

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be, miss 'holier-than-thou'?" He laughed. I lifted my head slowly, and slowly a smile crept across my face. Suddenly, my heart began to beat again. My lungs needed air, and I was inexplicably hungry.

"The dead don't always stay dead." I growled, feeling life come back to me. I leapt at him and, in a intense burst of strength, tore his head clean from shoulders. Then, I looked up at Dimitri. I covered in blood from head to toe, and yet he made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"_Roza..."_ He whispered.

"His name is Aidan." I said, pointing behind him to the doorway. He spun around to see our little boy smiling at him, holding Aleksandra's hand. She was beautiful.

"My mommy kicks butt!" Aidan giggled.

"No, daddy kicks MORE butt." Aleks argued.

"Mommy!"

"Daddy!"

"You know what? There will be no more butt kicking." I whispered, looking down at Lissa. Her eyes flicked open, and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"I knew you were faking it." I whispered.

"What can I say? I kick butt." She smiled. Dimitri and I laughed. Picking up our children, Dimitri, Lissa, and I went home.

Prologue

Once again, everything was right. Rose was here to watch her Children grow up, and make their own paths in their lives.

After many years, Rose and Dimitri retired together, and lived in Russia until the day they both died. Their children lived long and happy lives.

What happened to the others?

Well...That's another story.

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**Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story until the end. It means so much to me. You guys made me want to continue writing. I'm currently writing the sequel called –quite unusually- 'The Book'. The first part should be up in a few days. First review gets a sneak peek at the first chapter! :)**

**Lots of hugs,**

**~Little-Dhampir xox**


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